It Was For The Best: Part 2
by Mette A
Summary: It picks up about 4 years and 4 months after 'It Was For The Best' ended. It takes place throughout an entire year - from January to New Year's Eve. New characters will appear and someone will die.
1. Chapter 1

**Title:** It Was For The Best - Part 2

**Rating:** M - though there won't be any smut.

**Spoiler:** New characters will appear, and someone will die.

**Summary/Note:** The story takes place about 4 years and 4 months after _It Was For The Best_ ended. I know that with Sydney's two missing years, there's often been a question what year we're in, maybe mostly on the show. Well, I didn't really do too well in that area. I just went with the year the show ended, which was in 2006. The King of Thailand's 60th anniversary of his accession to the throne that Sergei went to take pictures of for a week, was an actual event. It took place in the middle of June 2006. But I know that if Sydney disappeared in 2003 when season 2 ended, then _It Was For The Best_ couldn't have ended in September 2006. However, what year we're in is not that important. The months are important. _It Was For The Best - Part 2_ starts in January and will end on New Year's Eve the same year. Considering Jack and Irina renewed their vows in September, 4 years and 4 months later means that _It Was For The Best - Part 2_ starts in January with the triplets turning 8 years old in February. I hope all of this makes sense.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Alias. It belongs to JJ Abrams, Bad Robot Production, and ABC.

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**Chapter 1**

Jack got up after having just been knocked down. He barely caught his footing before Irina came charging at him again. She swung her fist at him at his face, but he managed to get his face out of the way, grabbing her wrist, turning her away from him and pushing her roughly away.

The minute she turned back around towards him, he came charging at her. He swung his arm towards her, but she caught it holding on to it. He tried kicking her in her ribs, but she was quick on her feet and kicked at his other leg, so that he fell. However, he yanked at his hand, which she was still holding onto, and they both ended up falling down.

She got up first and intended to kick him in the face. But Jack caught her foot right before it made contact with his face, twisted it a bit around and pushed Irina away, which caused her to fall back down again. He got back up and was ready for her next attack.

Irina got up quickly. She eyed Jack for two seconds before she drew her knife that she'd been hiding behind her back. Jack saw her pull out the knife and stared her down even colder than before. They walked around seizing each other up, seeing who would charge first, who would get an opening.

She lunged, the knife at Jack. She lunged, it from side to side, and finally saw an opening and went straight to his heart. He almost didn't catch her wrist in time. They wrestled with the knife from side to side, and Irina managed to push Jack up against a wall. He had a hard time fighting her off, and the knife was only a few millimeters from his throat. He finally got a better hold, and managed to get it far away from his face and any other parts of his body. He kicked at her legs, which made her footing a little uneasy. That helped him to get away from the wall and push them further away. They were still wrestling with the knife, but Jack succeeded in getting it out her hands and it went flying through the air landing far away from them.

Irina then tried to sweep Jack's leg away from underneath of him, but he was quicker and swept her legs away from underneath of her. She was caught off guard and landed on the ground on her back. He quickly got on top of her and pinned her down with his body. She tried to struggle out of his hold on her, but she couldn't. He held on to her too strongly, and she had no way of escaping.

They locked eyes, staring each other down, and if looks could kill, they would both be dead right now.

**TBC**


	2. Chapter 2

**SofiaBlackBristow: **Thank you for thinking it's perfect - you're too kind. :-) Yeah, I like it best too, when Jack and Irina are kissing. But who says it's sad?

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**Chapter 2**

Five seconds later their lips found each other and they kissed passionately and deeply. Jack loosened his grip on Irina and moved his hands allover her body. She moved her hands allover his body too. They kissed for a long time before they needed air. Once their lips parted and they'd had time to catch their breaths slightly, they started laughing. Irina slapped Jack playfully on his chest.

"Jack, you cheater." He cocked an eyebrow at her and she rolled her eyes at him. "I meant the fighting, not the kissing." He grinned and was about to kiss her again, when she stopped him, cocking an eyebrow at him. "You better not be practicing the kissing." He laughed and so did she.

"Don't worry, sweetheart. I don't want to be kissing anyone other than you." They laughed and kissed again. Several moments later they needed air again. "I might've been cheating with practicing a little fighting on the side, but what about you? Since when are we allowed to use props?" He looked in the direction of the toy plastic knife, she'd used.

"When we agreed to work out together like this, we never said that we were not allowed to use props. Besides, after defense training and sparring with each other for nearly four years, I thought we needed to add something new. And although I know you're perfectly capable of fighting off someone with a real knife, I didn't want anything to go wrong, which is why I used a toy." They laughed and continued kissing.

Jack moved his hands underneath Irina's shirt and she started pulling at his shirt too. But she stopped when she heard the doorbell. She tried to get up, but couldn't move because Jack was still on top of her. He started trailing kisses down her neck.

"There's no need to answer the door. It's no one we know."

"Jack, the only people, who come to our house, are our family and friends. It has to be some of them."

"Some times we also get salesmen, trying to sell us some useless crap. Now would you rather listen to what they have to offer, or do you want to hear what I have to offer? I'm telling you it's a salesman." She moaned in pleasure as he found a sensitive spot on her neck. The doorbell rang again.

"You. Always you. But you might be wrong. At least check the security monitor. I don't want to have missed someone, if it's someone in the family, who's here." Jack groaned and reluctantly got up off Irina.

They were in the basement, where they'd turned one of the rooms into a gym and another one into a space where they could spar with each other and do defense training. In many of the rooms throughout the house, they had installed security monitors, and the house outside had several security cameras. That had been installed when they bought the house, though they had never had any trouble with thieves or anything like that. But with Sloane on the loose, they could never be too careful. Some places in the house, like the kitchen, the security monitor was hidden well away, whereas in the living room and in the office the security cameras were hooked up to the TVs.

Jack turned on the security monitor and switched it to the channel that would show the front door. He sighed deeply when he saw the people who had come for a visit. He turned to Irina.

"It's our son-in-law and our granddaughter." Irina smiled widely and got up off the floor. She walked over and glanced briefly at the screen, before looking at Jack, who smiled at her a little apologetically. She smiled back and gave him a quick kiss.

"You can pay me back later for doubting me." She wiggled her eyes at him and pinched his butt before heading up the stairs. Jack rubbed his butt a little, thinking of how much he was looking forward to paying Irina back. He looked back at the monitor.

"Well, better go and see what you want."

Irina opened the door and smiled broadly at her family standing at the door. She opened her arms and her granddaughter ran over to her grandmother's waiting arms.

"Becky." She gave her granddaughter a tight hug and a kiss, and then picked her up.

"Hi, grandma."

"Hey, what about me? Don't I get a welcome like that?" Irina and Becky turned to Becky's dad. Then Becky turned to her grandmother.

"Daddy's silly." Irina laughed.

"Your daddy's always silly." She turned to Becky's dad. "Come on in, Eric." Eric walked in just as Jack walked into the hall.

"Grandpa." Becky reached out for her grandfather, and Irina put her down. She ran over to Jack, who picked her up, and Irina gave Eric a hug.

Nadia and Eric got married in August the following year after Jack and Irina renewed their vows. The year after that Becky was born, and a few months ago their son David was born. Nadia had lived with her parents for a few weeks after they returned from their honeymoon. She'd enjoyed not living on her own, so when Eric had asked her to move in with him, she'd accepted. A few months before their own wedding they'd moved into a house. They were both still working at APO, but hardly ever went out on dangerous missions anymore.

Jack was still the director of APO and Irina worked there too. She also taught her cipher text to CIA agents at CIA headquarters, and helped in teaching other things. She was happy that the CIA had told her to do this, as it brought back happy memories of her days as a teacher, and she thoroughly enjoyed teaching again. Though at times she came home and told Jack how incompetent her students were. Neither Jack nor Irina went out on too many dangerous missions anymore.

Eric noticed that Jack and Irina were a little sweaty. He smirked at both at them.

"Did Becky and I interrupt something?" Jack rolled his eyes at him, gave his granddaughter a kiss, and put her down.

"Sweetheart, why don't you go into the kitchen? You can take out the cookies in the bottom drawer."

"Okay, grandpa." They all watched as Becky ran for the kitchen. Eric grinned at Jack.

"Jack, you're actually going to tell me something that my daughter can't hear?" Jack glared at Eric.

"No, I'm not, but I don't think it's proper for my granddaughter to hear you imply what you're implying. Or for her to listen, to your teasing." Eric laughed, and Irina laughed a little too, shaking her head.

"You didn't interrupt anything, Eric. Jack and I were just working out. We were practicing defense training with each other." Eric nodded.

"Who won?" Jack smiled a little triumphantly.

"I did." Irina rolled her eyes at him, and shot him a look. "I had been practicing." Eric hadn't noticed the look Irina had given Jack.

"Why do you say it like there's something wrong with practicing? Irina was practicing with Nadia and Sydney yesterday. Nadia told me that Irina needed to get in some extra practice before going up against you." Jack gaped at Irina. She had tried to stop Eric from going any further, but he hadn't noticed her until it was too late. "Oops. I guess, I wasn't supposed to tell you that."

Jack crossed his arms and cocked an eyebrow at Irina. She gave him an innocent look, but when that didn't help, she held up her hands in surrender.

"Okay, okay. So I cheated too. I'll pay you back later." Jack immediately smiled at her. She smiled back and wiggled her eyes a little at him. Eric noticed the heated looks they exchanged. While he didn't mind teasing them about their love life, he was quite uncomfortable when he was the only one around them and they looked at each other like they were doing now.

"And I'm paying right now. If you'll excuse me, I'll just go and see what my daughter is up to."

Jack and Irina kept looking hungrily at each other for a while after Eric had left. Their hungry smiles eventually turned into warm smiles. Irina walked passed Jack on her way to the kitchen. However, she didn't get far. Jack gently grabbed her arm, pulled her to him and kissed her passionately. They smiled at each other when they pulled apart.

"I look forward to us paying each other back later." They both grinned a little.

"Me too." They gave each other a soft kiss before heading off to the kitchen.

When they got to the kitchen Eric was pouring Becky a glass of juice. Jack went to the cabinet and got out two glasses, while Irina sat down next to Becky.

"So what brings you by?"

"Becky and I are on our way to the store, and just before we left Sydney called. When she found out that we were on our way to the store, she asked if I would mind dropping by your house to pick up that cookbook you borrowed, since I was out driving anyway. She needs it for tonight."

"Let me just get it for you." She got up from her seat, got the cookbook and handed it to Eric. "Did they have a nice time in New York?"

"Yes, from what I could gather they did. I didn't talk much with her, but I know that they have plenty of new pictures of T.J. that she'll be showing tonight." Irina smiled and nodded, and Jack smiled too.

Rachel had stayed for a few months at APO after Jack and Irina's wedding. She and Will hadn't dated much before Jack and Irina's wedding, but had done after. Since it was safe for him to live under his real name, he had gotten a job at a newspaper in New York. Rachel had then decided to leave APO, like she'd thought of after Mongolia, and had moved to New York with Will, where she got a job at the CIA office. They had gotten married a few years later and during the summer the last year, their first child was born. A son named Thomas Jonathan Tippin, who mostly went by the name T.J. Jack and Irina had been in New York on business around the time he was born, and they had stayed with Rachel and Will. Irina had still been at the CIA office, while Jack had finished earlier and gone back to Rachel and Will's place. The baby wasn't due for another month, but when Rachel went into labor unexpectedly and there was no time to get her to the hospital, Jack had delivered their son in their kitchen. Because of Jack's help in bringing their son to the world and for everything else he'd ever done for them, they gave their son the middle name Jonathan in honor of Jack.

"I can't wait to see them. I can only imagine he's grown quite a bit since the last time we saw him." Eric nodded.

"So, where are the triplets?" Jack finished his juice and put his glass on the table.

"At a birthday party for one of their classmates." Eric nodded.

"Right, they told me that they other day."

"We'll be picking them up on our way to Sydney's."

"Speaking of picking up, we should probably get going. We have a lot of things to get at the store." Eric turned to his daughter. "Sweetie, are you done with your cookie and juice?" Becky smiled with her chocolate covered mouth.

"Yes, daddy." They all laughed at the sight of her.

"Well, let's just get you cleaned up first, and then we can be on our way." He walked over and picked her up, took her to the sink and cleaned her up. He gave her a kiss and walked over to Jack and Irina with her on his arm. "Say goodbye to grandma and grandpa." Jack and Irina both gave her a kiss.

"We'll see you tonight, sweetheart."

"Say hi to your mother and brother for us." She nodded and giggled when Jack tickled her a little. Eric smiled at Jack and Irina.

"We'll see ourselves out. Thanks for the cookies and juice. See you all tonight."

"Bye Eric." Both Jack and Irina waved at Eric and Becky as they watched them leave the kitchen.

Jack put away the juice and cookies, and when they heard the front door close, Irina walked over to Jack, and stood right in front of him when he closed the fridge. She looked at him hungrily.

"I'd like to collect my payment now." Jack gave her the same look she was giving him.

"I will gladly pay. Since we have the house to ourselves, is there any specific place in the house, where you'd like to receive your payment?" Irina looked at the fridge. Jack followed her gaze and smiled when he saw that she was looking at the fridge. "I take it you have the fridge in mind?" She nodded.

"We have the house to ourselves, so I think the fridge is a very good idea. No one will come home at any moment, and I promise if the doorbell rings again we won't answer it." He nodded.

"Since you've made your choice, may I then suggest that we remove our clothes and not waste anymore time?" Irina licked her lips.

"Absolutely." They both laughed while they helped remove each others clothes.

* * *

Later in the evening the doorbell rang at Sydney and Vaughn's house. Vaughn went to answer the door carrying his son Nicholas, who was only a few months old. Sydney and Vaughn had gotten married in December the same year that Jack and Irina renewed their vows. They had moved into a house the following spring and later Isabelle had a sister, Sarah, who would be turning three later this year. Their brother had then joined the family last year. Like Nadia and Eric, Sydney and Vaughn were still working at APO, but were no longer going on too many dangerous missions. Vaughn opened the door and smiled at Marshall, Carrie, and their children.

"Hi. Come on in."

Marshall and Carrie were still working at APO too. They now had four children. Other than Mitchell, they had a son named Matthew, who would be turning four later in the year, and twin girls, Chloe and Gracie, who would be turning two later in the year.

"Hi, Vaughn."

"Hi, uncle Vaughn." They took off their coats and were all about to walk into the living room, when the doorbell rang again.

"I'll just get that, and you can just continue on into the living room." They nodded and left while Vaughn opened the door. "Hi, Kendall. Come on in." Kendall walked in.

"Hi, Vaughn. Hi, Nicholas." Kendall grabbed Nicholas' small hand with two fingers and gently shook it. That earned him a small smile from Nicholas. When Kendall put his jacket away Maddie got out of the bathroom.

"Hi, uncle Kendall." They smiled at each other.

"Hi, Maddie. How was the birthday party?"

"It was great. We had lots of fun."

"That's nice." They all walked into the living room and joined the others.

Just like Mitchell had called Jack uncle years ago, the rest of Marshall and Carrie's children were also calling Jack uncle now, and calling Irina aunt. They also called Vaughn, Eric, Dixon, Kendall, and Sergei uncle, whereas they called Sydney and Nadia aunt. Other than Eric being their uncle Sydney and Vaughn's children, except for Nicholas, also called Dixon, Marshall, Sergei, Kendall, and Will uncle, and although Nadia was their aunt they also called Carrie and Rachel aunt. When Nicholas would be old enough to talk he'd be calling the same people aunt and uncle. Becky called Vaughn, Dixon, Marshall, Kendall, and Sergei uncle, while she called Sydney and Carrie aunt. When David was old enough to talk, he too would call the same people aunt and uncle. Other than calling Sergei uncle, the triplets also called Dixon, Marshall, and Kendall uncle, and they called Carrie aunt. Katya was also called aunt but only by the triplets. Just for laughs Eric sometimes called Kendall uncle too.

Kendall greeted everyone, and Sydney walked in from the kitchen.

"We ran out of time and didn't have time to set the table. Do any of you mind doing that?" Jack got up.

"I'll do it, sweetheart." Jack walked off towards the dining room.

"I'll help." Kendall gave Sydney a smile and walked towards the dining room too. Jack was getting the plates out and Kendall started taking out the glasses.

"Kayta will be coming to APO in a few days." Kendall rolled his eyes.

"Any idea what kind of mood she'll be in this time?" Jack laughed a little. Although he and Katya got along just fine, and that it wasn't a problem that she stayed with him and Irina whenever she was in town, he was still glad that she was mainly Kendall's responsibility with everything work related. He got a kick out of seeing how much Katya could annoy Kendall. She got along perfectly with everyone at APO and never really annoyed any of the others, but she loved annoying Kendall. She loved pushing his buttons.

"No I don't. I didn't talk to her myself. Devlin called yesterday and told me she'd be coming. I don't even think Irina's spoken to her within the last couple of weeks. But I'm sure she'll be in her usually delightful mood."

"Delightful? Katya is anything but delightful. Had I known how she'd act, I would never have agreed to be her contact person. I would've stuck her with Marcus." Jack laughed. "You're enjoying it too much seeing her annoy me."

"Yes, I am." They looked at each other and Kendall laughed too shaking his head.

There was a time when Jack would've never thought that he and Kendall would be close friends or even merely friends. But their relationship had gotten strong and they were now more like brothers than friends. They also both had a stronger relationship with Dixon, and the three of them worked together excellently as the bosses of APO. Everyone else got on great with Kendall too. All together everyone was closer to each other than they'd been four years ago.

The only one, no one was really getting along with, was Chase. She and Dixon were still together, and had been living together for the past three years. However, she still hadn't come around regarding Irina. She was giving her the same treatment that she'd given her when Irina got her pardoning agreement. Everyone tried to be civil towards Chase whenever Dixon was around, but they were all not quite as friendly towards her when he was not around. Except for Irina. She had never been unfriendly towards Chase, because she didn't want to make things worse between them, or have Chase give her a reprimand. The last thing was however, probably a little impossible, since Jack was the director of APO, and Devlin was on Irina's side. But Irina also didn't want to say anything to Chase out of respect for Dixon, who she knew probably didn't have it easy, because he could never really choose sides. He couldn't very well go against the woman he loved, but at the same time, he also knew that his girlfriend was being too hard on his friend. So he tried to stay as neutral as possible, and everyone else kept their calm towards Chase whenever they were around her and Dixon.

Jack and Kendall continued setting the table when Vaughn walked in with the salad.

"Anything else you need our help with after Jack and I are done setting the table?" Vaughn shook his head.

"No, Sydney and I got the food under control, and it's nearly done." They both nodded at Vaughn.

"We're almost done here, so should we just go back to the living room when the table is set?"

"Yeah, do that. Dinner is almost ready, but it'll still be another ten minutes."

"Okay, we'll do that." Vaughn gave them a smile and headed back to the kitchen.

Jack and Kendall finished setting the table and got back to the living room. Irina was now holding Nicholas. About ten minutes later Sydney, Vaughn, their children, Nadia, Eric, their children, Jack, Irina, the triplets, Sergei, Marshall, Carrie, their children, Dixon, and Kendall all sat down to eat.

They had a wonderful evening together and Sydney and Vaughn talked about their trip to New York and showed off pictures of Will, Rachel, and T.J. Mostly of T.J. though. The children had looked at the pictures, but had then played in another room in the house. They all had a strong relationship with each other. Ethan and Marshall had gotten on perfectly since they'd met each other, and were best friends.

Jack was now closer with Marshall and Carrie than he'd ever expected to be. They'd all gotten closer when they'd worked together to bring down Rambaldi, and with Marshall's help in getting Irina the pardoning agreement. But with their children bonding and becoming so close friends, Jack, Irina, Marshall, and Carrie had gotten a lot closer too. Isabelle, Sarah, and Becky never called the triplets aunt and uncle since they were so close in age. They were more like really close cousins, because they saw each other all the time. Although the triplets often spent a lot of time with their nieces and nephews, they also spent some alone time with their sisters. It was important for all five of them to spent time alone with each other, since there was such a huge gap in their ages.

* * *

Later everyone went home. Jack and Irina tucked in the triplets in their beds when they got home. They no longer shared a room, but each had their own room. They still had their playroom. They also no longer came into Jack and Irina's bedroom to snuggle early in the morning. Usually only on Christmas morning did they snuggle with their parents, and once in a while when there was a bad thunderstorm. Though, Jack and Irina continued locking the door every night.

Christmas was spent at Jack and Irina's cabin in Canada. They'd bought the cabin before their first Christmas together. The triplets had gotten used to having snow for Christmas in Russia, and were a bit sad that they wouldn't have that in LA. They hadn't complained, but Jack and Irina had picked up on them being a little sad at the prospect of not having snow on Christmas. So when they'd been in Canada to visit the gravesites of Jack's mother, aunt, and grandfather, they'd seen postings about cabins being for sale various places in the area. They'd looked them over and had found the perfect cabin. It was quite huge, located right beside a lake. But with their huge family, and with their friends, whom they also considered to be family, the cabin didn't really seem to be too big to them. They also let their family and friends borrow it whenever they wanted to, as it was also a great place to be in the summer or any time of the year.

Jack and Irina went to bed after they'd tucked in the triplets. They were brushing their teeth in the bathroom.

"I told Kendall that Katya is coming in a few days." Irina looked at Jack and shook her head at him, when she saw the grin that was plastered on his face.

"Jack, that wasn't nice of you. You just told him that to tease him."

"No, I didn't." He protested, through his laughter. "It would've been worse, if I had sprung the news on him five minutes before she came to APO. And I didn't tease him about it."

"But now you have a few days to enjoy seeing him annoyed with him knowing that she's coming." Jack looked at her for a few seconds, then laughed a little and nodded.

"Well, yeah." She shook her head at him, but laughed too. "Maybe you're right. Maybe I should've waited until a few minutes before she arrived to tell him. But at least now he's not caught off guard. He has time to prepare himself for her remarks." They both laughed.

"Well, at least we're in for a few days of fun at the office. I do feel bad for Kendall that she annoys him so much, and that he's constantly on the receiving end. But I have to admit it's fun to watch." He swatted her playfully on her arm.

"See, you're just as bad as I am. And you give me a hard time about it." She swatted him back playfully.

"I wasn't really giving you a hard time. But unlike you, I don't tease Kendall about it." They laughed again and he swatted her butt playfully.

"Time for bed, wife, and time for me to collect my payment. You own me for this morning." She cocked an eyebrow at him and looked at him amused.

"I thought I paid you back this morning or in the afternoon." He smiled at her shaking his head.

"No, I only paid you back. I never said I collected my payment. Every time might not have been you collecting your payment, but I know for a fact that I haven't collected my payment yet." She looked at him with desire in her eyes.

"Well, in that case I'd be more than happy to pay you back." She held out her hand to him. He grabbed it pulling her close and kissed her passionately. When their lips parted they smiled at each other, turned off the lights in the bathroom, and headed for the bed.

**TBC**


	3. Chapter 3

**SofiaBlackBristow:** Thank you for reading and reviewing - it means a lot, and it helps to know that someone is reading. :-) You're too kind to think it's perfect - thank you. :-) I'm glad you're loving the second story too, and I hope that continues no matter what direction I take it in. I'm glad you like Becky - I hope you'll like the rest of the new characters as well.

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**Chapter 3**

A few days later Kendall was pacing around APO, looking at his watch every other second. Katya would be arriving soon and he wasn't happy about it. Everyone had enjoyed seeing how Kendall had been a little annoyed the last few days, but they had also not teased him about it. Eric watched him and couldn't help but laugh a little to himself. He poured himself a cop of coffee, and also poured one for Kendall. Kendall looked like he could use it. Kendall had his back turned to Eric when he walked over.

"You look nervous, uncle Kendall." Kendall turned around and looked at Eric annoyed. "Ah. I guess you're not really in the mood for jokes right now." Kendall let out a held in breath.

"No, not really. I appreciate you trying to cheer me up, if that's what you were doing. But I know that Katya will annoy me plenty, so I'd appreciate it, if you'd just lay off with the teasing." Eric nodded and smiled.

"You got it. Here. Thought you could use a cup of coffee." He handed Kendall the coffee, and he smiled back at Eric.

"Thanks. Yeah, I could actually use this." They drank their coffee and didn't speak for about a minute.

"Don't let Katya get to you so much. I know she has her moments, but she's actually quite nice and sweet." Kendall rolled his eyes.

"People keep telling me about her nice qualities, but I have yet to experience them. Yes, I'll admit that I've seen her be nice to other people, but she's never been nice to me."

"She doesn't exactly hate you."

"You might be sure of that, but I'm not." Eric laughed.

"Just give her a doze of her own medicine."

"I try, but I'm never really successful. She throws remarks after remarks at me, and I hardly ever have a comeback." Eric laughed a little as Kendall went on. "I always start off by being nice to her and smile at her, but she never shows me the same kindness. She smirks at me. Her little Derevko smirk. Her little Derevko, triumphant smirk."

"Hey, careful now." Kendall turned around and saw Irina coming up behind him. "I might be a Bristow, but I'm also still a Derevko." She smiled at Kendall and he smiled back.

"But you don't have that smirk. So maybe using Derevko is the wrong word. But it's still a triumphant smirk." Irina laughed a little.

"Do you want me to talk to my sister?" Kendall shook his head and smiled.

"Thanks, but no thanks. I'm a big boy. I can handle myself. Katya might annoy me like hell, but I'm not about to let someone else fight my battles for me." Irina laughed a little and nodded.

"I respect that. I won't say anything to her then."

"Thank you. But if I wanted you to talk to her, I would've asked you years ago." Irina and Eric laughed a little. Jack walked out from his office and joined them. He smiled at Kendall.

"Katya's here and waiting for you." Kendall took a deep breath and took another sip of his coffee.

"I better get going. No need to piss her off by keeping her waiting." They all laughed a little and watched Kendall walk away.

"Show time." Irina and Eric looked at Jack. Eric laughed and Irina hit Jack playfully on the arm, shaking her head, but she laughed too.

* * *

Kendall saw Katya waiting for him with one guard at the entrance to APO. He smiled at her.

"Hello Katya. Good to see you again." She looked at him annoyed as he signed her in.

"This is really getting old and ridiculous. I've been working for the CIA for more than four years, and I've never done anything to harm the CIA. I've done my job to perfection, so I don't see why you still have to sign me in or be my contact person. I should be able to just walk in to APO, and I shouldn't have other people sign me in whenever I'm in Washington, at other CIA offices, or abroad." Kendall took a deep breath and smiled at her.

"Yes, you do excellent work for the CIA, but it's still part of your pardoning agreement that someone has to sign you in." She gave him a stern look.

"Do something about it. It's a disgrace that someone still has to sign me in, and it's a lack of trust."

"I can't do anything about it. If I could, I would."

"Of course you can do something about it. You can talk to Devlin and have that part of my agreement changed. I'm sure there are plenty of people, who can speak on my behalf."

"Your agreement was for five years. You'll be free to leave the CIA in December of this year. If you've been able to stand it for this long, I'm sure you're capable of being able to stand it for the rest of the year." She looked at him even more sternly than before.

"It's a mystery to me, why someone as incompetent as you, ever became part of the CIA. I just told you that it's getting old and ridiculous that someone has to sign me in. Obviously that means that I haven't been thrilled about this for years. And don't be a smart ass. Of course I'm capable of being able to stand it. I don't complain about things, I deal with them." Kendall was getting annoyed with her and was about to speak, but Katya kept talking. "Why couldn't Marcus have been my contact person? At least he's smart and nice, and he would've talked to Devlin years ago, and had it arranged so that no one would have to sign me in anywhere. But no, I get stuck with a moron like you, completely useless and lacking manners."

"Now hang on. I'm a very nice person. Everyone else thinks so. It's just you, who can't see that or won't see that. I always start out by being nice to you, but you're never nice to me."

"God, you're such a whiny little girl." Kendall gaped at her. "And you think too highly of yourself. It's really an unattractive quality, but giving the way that you look, it suits you just fine." He looked at her annoyed. She smirked back at him. "Now since you've signed me in, I'm going to walk in and get started on work. Staring at your face is quite boring." Kendall was about to say something, but never got the chance as Katya just walked away from him at a quick pace.

The guard, who'd been standing with them, was still there and grinned a little. Kendall looked at him angrily.

"If you know what's good for you, you'll wipe that grin off your face right now." The guard swallowed and wiped the grin off immediately.

"Yes sir." Kendall turned on his heels and walked away.

* * *

Katya had just put her coat away when Dixon walked passed her. Kendall reached Katya at the same time.

"Hi Katya. Nice to see you again." Katya smiled warmly at Dixon, and spoke to him with the same warmth.

"Hello Marcus. It's nice to see you too. How are the children?" He smiled back at her.

"Just fine, thank you."

"And yourself?"

"Can't complain. And you?"

"Fine, thank you. I can't really complain either." Kendall got even more annoyed with how kind Katya was towards Dixon. "So, is everyone else around?" Dixon nodded.

"Yeah, they're all around. I'm pretty sure they're all somewhere near your desk. Why don't we go and see?"

"Yes, let's." Kendall walked behind them, shaking his head a little to himself. Irina spotted them as they came walking and smiled at her sister.

"Hi Katya." Katya smiled back and when they reached each other they hugged.

"Hi Irina." Like Dixon had said, everyone had gathered around Katya's desk. Sydney, Nadia, and Eric all gave Katya a hug too, while Jack, Vaughn, Marshall, and Carrie smiled and nodded at her.

"So, what have you been up to lately? It's been awhile since we've heard from you." Katya shrugged.

"This and that. Traveling mostly, out seeing the world. I needed to relax, before I had to deal with work and all the unpleasantness it involves." She shot Kendall a look and he gave her an annoyed look in return. Everyone else tried not to laugh. Jack swallowed a laugh.

"Why don't you tell us about all of it at dinner tonight? I'm assuming you don't have any plans."

"You assume correctly. I plan on spending the evening with the triplets." Jack nodded.

"They'll be happy to see you again. You have some urgent work to attend to, so I suggest we all get back to work. Everything that you need to work on is right here on your desk. The number one priority is at the top of the pile." Katya nodded and smiled at Jack.

"I'll get on it right away."

"You want a cup of coffee?" Katya smiled at Irina.

"Yes, thank you." Irina went to get Katya a cup of coffee, and everyone else went back to work. Jack and Dixon walked to Jack's office.

"It looks like Katya got to Kendall already."

"Well, it usually doesn't take that long." They both laughed a little. "He didn't look too pleased when I met Katya. In a way I feel bad for Kendall, but in another way it's quite entertaining to watch him get so annoyed with her." They laughed some more.

"Yeah, I agree with you. Luckily for him, he only have to put up with it once is a while. It would be worse if Katya worked here all the time."

"But it would be so much more fun for us." They both laughed harder at that.

A few hours later Kendall walked over to Katya. He had promised himself that he would be polite towards her, despite how she'd acted towards him earlier. He stood in front of her desk and spoke kindly.

"Katya are you done with the analysis that was on the top of the pile?" She didn't answer him, or even acknowledge his presence. He tried again, still speaking kindly. "Katya, the analysis that was on the top of the pile, are you done with it?" She still didn't respond. Now he got annoyed. "Katya, the analysis?" She held up her coffee mug without looking at him.

"Get me a cup of coffee." He gaped at her.

"What? No. I'm not your servant. Now the analysis. I need it. Are you done with it?" She waved her coffee mug at him and he got even more frustrated with her. "I need the analysis for a call I need to make to Washington. The sooner the phone conversation is over with the better, but I need to have made the call before 4.00. p.m. Do you have the analysis finished or not?" She looked at her watch.

"It's only 1.00. You have plenty of time."

"Damn it, Katya." He was getting more and more annoyed with her.

"Get me a cup of coffee, and I'll let you know if I'm done with the analysis or not when you bring me my coffee." Kendall rubbed his head in frustration and then started to go through everything on Katya's desk. Now she got angry. "What do you think you're doing? I'm working. You're messing everything up." He found the file he was looking for and looked it over.

"If you had just giving me this when I asked for it, I wouldn't have had to go through everything myself. Or you could've just said you were done with it and pointed to where I could find it, and I could've gotten it myself." She looked at him sternly.

"Clean up the mess you made." He looked back at her angrily.

"I already told you, I'm not your servant. You brought this upon yourself." She cocked an eyebrow at him.

"You should really be careful." She held onto her coffee mug tightly. "If something heavy was to fall on your bald head, a bump would be very visible, and you would look worse than you already do."

"You're not allowed to thrown anything at me. If you harm anyone, you'll be violating your pardoning agreement, and it would be my right to throw you in jail, if you violate your agreement." She looked at him in mock shock and spoke the same way.

"You had a comeback. I'm shocked." She smirked at him. "You must feel like such a man right now instead of the whining little girl you always act like." He was still angry.

"Get back to work." With that he walked away from Katya's desk and she laughed to herself.

* * *

In the late afternoon Jack, Irina, and Katya went home. Jack parked the car and he and Irina walked towards the front door. Katya got out of her own car, opened the trunk and started walking.

"Jack, my luggage." Jack looked over his shoulder, but then kept walking.

"Get it yourself. This is not a hotel, and I'm not a bellboy or any other kind of servant." She stopped, crossed her arms and cocked an eyebrow at him.

"The polite thing to do is for you to take my luggage up to my room. You can't very well expect me to carry it myself." He stopped and turned around to look at her.

"Yes, maybe it would be. But whenever you live here, this house becomes partly your home too, and here we do things ourselves. You know that." He then smirked at her. "And if you don't feel like carrying your luggage up the stairs, you should've arrived to LA on your broomstick. That way you could've just flown upstairs with your luggage." She smirked back.

"How could I do that, when you still haven't returned it?" Irina shook her head at them laughing.

"You two are behaving like such children." Jack pointed at Katya.

"She started it." Katya stuck her tongue out at Jack, and all three of them laughed.

"Fine if you won't get my luggage, I'll get Sergei to do it." Irina shook her head.

"No Katya. You're getting the luggage yourself."

"Irina, did you ever think that maybe Sergei wants to help me with my luggage?" Irina shook her head laughing, and walked towards the front door.

"I know for a fact that he wouldn't. Just grab the luggage yourself. It's not that hard." Jack still looked at Katya and shot her another smirk.

"I hope you packed light." He then walked towards the house laughing, and saw that Irina was still shaking her head. Katya laughed too shaking her head and got the luggage herself.

"We're home." Irina called out to the triplets and Sergei when she walked in.

"In the living room." Irina walked into the living room with Jack following closely behind. They both went around and gave the triplets a kiss.

"Did you have a nice day at school?" The triplets all nodded.

"Yes, daddy." Maddie gave Jack a kiss in return.

"And did you do your homework?" Caitie smiled broadly at her mother.

"Of course, mommy." Irina smiled warmly at Caitie.

"I thought so. You can show daddy and me later." Ethan looked at his parents.

"Where's aunt Katya?" Just then Katya walked in.

"Right here. Your father didn't want to help me with my luggage." Jack rolled his eyes.

"But you're perfectly capable of taking care of yourself, aunt Katya. And women are just as capable as men in doing most things, so daddy shouldn't have to help you with your luggage. I thought you had your pride?" Katya gaped at Maddie, while everyone laughed. Jack clasped his hands together and kissed Maddie's head.

"That's my girl." Katya crossed her arms and cocked an eyebrow.

"What about every time your father holds out the car door for your mother, holds out the chair for her, and helps her with other things? Shouldn't she do that all by herself?" Ethan smiled.

"Daddy does all that because he's in love with mommy. He's being romantic." Jack smiled warmly at his son.

"And that's my boy." Katya rolled her eyes and then looked at Caitie.

"What about you? Do you have something to add?" Caitie smiled.

"No, but I agree with everything my sister and brother said." Everyone laughed.

"And that's my girl too." Jack smiled warmly at Caitie too. Katya smiled at the triplets.

"Well, are the three of you going to give me a hug or not?" The triplets got up off their seats and went to Katya to hug her. Sergei went up from his seat too and went to hug his cousin.

"Hi Katya. Good to see you again." She smiled back at Sergei.

"You too, Sergei."

They all had a pleasant evening together and Katya talked about her travels through Europe. She'd brought the triplets some presents, which they spent a lot of time looking at. Later in the evening after the triplets were in bed, Jack was in the kitchen when Katya walked in.

"Jack do you have a garbage bag?" He looked at her curiously.

"Yeah, why?"

"No reason. I just need one." Jack nodded and went to get her one. "Thank you."

"If you need to take out some trash, just say the word. I'd be more than happy to throw you out with the garbage." He smirked and her she smirked back.

"You wouldn't be strong enough to carry me."

"Now couldn't that also mean that you've gained weight rather than it being an attack on my strength?" Jack laughed, while Katya looked at him sternly.

"I'll have you know that I'm in the best shape of my life. I have not gained weight."

"Maybe because of your old age, you're retaining more water in your body."

"I'm not old or retaining water in my body." Jack shook his head laughing.

"Whatever, Katya."

"I'm not." He laughed more.

"You just keep telling yourself that. I'm going to bed. Goodnight." He walked out of the kitchen and headed upstairs. A few seconds later Irina walked into the kitchen.

"I'm going to bed. Goodnight, Katya."

"Yes, goodnight." Irina looked at Katya a little more closely and then looked at her amused.

"Did Jack say something that annoyed you?" Katya looked at Irina and Irina could tell that Jack had. She started to laugh.

"It's not funny. He called me an old, wrinkled, big, fat whale." Irina laughed harder at that.

"Now you're exaggerating."

"Hardly." Irina walked over to Katya, gave her a hug and a kiss on the cheek.

"Good to have you here again." They smiled at each other. "And if you can dish it out, you should be able to take it."

"Typical of you to side with your husband."

"I know." She gave Katya another kiss on the cheek and started leaving. She waved her hand in the air. "Goodnight Shamu." She could hear that Katya gaped and she laughed at that.

* * *

The next day Kendall had waited at the entrance at APO for Jack, Irina, and Katya. He knew they'd be arriving at the same time, and thought that he might as well be there to sign Katya in when they arrived. Jack and Irina had smiled at him and greeted him. He'd shown them the same kindness and had also been friendly towards Katya. She on the other hand had not said a word to Kendall, or given him the time of day.

A little while later Katya walked over to Kendall. She had a present for him.

"Here." He looked at her curiously.

"What's this?" She rolled her eyes at him.

"For someone in intelligence, you really aren't that intelligent at all. They should have you clean the toilets in this place, and not have you be, an assistant director." He looked at her annoyed. "It's a garbage bag."

"I can see that perfectly well. What am I supposed to do with it?"

"Put it over your big ugly head, so that I don't have to look at it." Kendall gaped at her for a second before he put the bag back in her hand.

"Stop acting like a child and get back to work." She looked at him in mock compassion.

"Did I hurt your feelings? Are you about to cry?" He groaned.

"Stop it and get back to work." He left pissed off at her. Katya laughed to herself.

Katya had stayed for a few days working at APO. She'd been able to annoy Kendall plenty every day. Everyone had enjoyed seeing Kendall so pissed off with Katya, and Vaughn and Eric had also teased Kendall a little, which didn't make things better for Kendall. While Katya wasn't at APO, she'd spent time with the family, who'd all enjoyed having her around. She was now heading for London to do some work.

* * *

The day after Katya left, Irina went into Jack's office at APO. He was at the secret CIA operations facility with Dixon, and she was heading to headquarters to teach in a few minutes, so she just wanted to leave Jack a note. She'd often left him a note on his computer, whenever he was not in his office. The note would be hidden by the screensaver and Jack would see it the next time he'd use the computer, which he always did. She sometimes just left him a sweet little note, but other times she also left him notes that were for his eyes only. This was one of those notes that was, for his eyes only. She had started to write about how wonderful he'd been last night and how he'd made her feel, when all of a sudden she was interrupted.

"What do you think you're doing?" Irina looked up and saw an angry Chase looking at her. "Back away from the computer. Now." Irina held up her hands and pushed the chair back. "What are you doing on Director Bristow's computer?"

"I was just leaving Jack a note." Irina spoke calmly and kindly. But Chase was furious.

"You can do that with a pen and paper."

"I could, but the note is for his eyes only." Chase walked closer to the computer.

"Oh is it now? Well, let's just see about that, and if you're in fact even writing a note to Director Bristow." Irina moved a little closer to the computer.

"I don't think that's such a good idea."

"I said back away from the computer." Irina held her hands up again, and pushed the chair back again. Chase started to read the note. Her eyes grew wide and her jaw dropped. She only read a little bit of the note and then turned her head away, looking even more angrily at Irina. "This is a place of business and this is a government computer. It's not your own personal diary."

"I know. As I was saying, I just wanted to leave a note for Jack, which was for his eyes only. That's why I'm writing it on the computer."

"You have no business being on his computer."

"What's going on here?" Irina and Chase looked and saw that Kendall had just stepped into Jack's office, closing the door behind him.

"Agent Bristow, is using Director Bristow's computer." Kendall shrugged.

"So?" Chase looked at him angrily too.

"She shouldn't be allowed anywhere near his computer." Kendall glared at Chase.

"Irina has the same level of security that all the high level agents here have. Including Jack. She got that clearance a year after she joined the CIA. And she got that clearance, because the CIA knows, she can be trusted and she's proven to be one of the greatest agents this company has ever had."

"Not everyone is the CIA thinks so."

"No, clearly not." Kendall and Chase kept looking angrily at each other, while Irina watched quietly. "She works with Jack in his office all the time, and he hasn't got anything on his computer that she's not allowed to see. She has free access to everything, so if she wanted to do something corrupt, she could do it from her own computer. It's about time you realize that she's one of the good guys. I thought that you'd be smarter, and have realized this years ago. But apparently you're not that smart." Chase gaped a little at Kendall and then looked at him even colder.

"Do I need to remind you that you're talking to a Director of the CIA?" Kendall shot right back at her, and was angrier than before.

"Do I need to remind you that I get along better with Devlin than you do? Do you really want to be reprimanded by him again?"

"Do not threaten me."

"Do not harass one of my agents. And it's not a threat."

"You should have more control over your agents. She's writing a personal note to Director Bristow on his computer and during work hours." Kendall rolled his eyes at Chase.

"He's her husband. It's normal for spouses to leave notes for each other. With the line of work that we do and deal with on a daily basis, even if we're just working here in the office, we need a sense of normalcy. And she's entitled to a break. So leaving Jack a note is not interfering with her work. If you want to be hard on Irina for leaving a personal note for Jack, you should be hard on every married couple in this place, because they all leave notes for their spouses. Even Jack. And Jack, Marcus, and I have perfect control over our agents and of this place." They kept looking angrily at each other, and none of them spoke for a while. "Was there something in particular you wanted?"

"I came here to drop off some work for you, Jack, and Marcus to look at." She waved the folder she had in her hand a little.

"Then I suggest you give it to me, and then leave so that we can get back to work. Irina has to leave for headquarters to teach in a few minutes, and I doubt you want to interfere with her doing her job." Chase stood looking at Kendall for a few seconds. She then turned to glare coldly at Irina, who looked at her apologetically. She looked back at Kendall and gave him the folder.

"Don't think I'll forget this conversation." Kendall smirked a little at Chase.

"I certainly hope you don't." Chase left Jack's office angrily and Kendall and Irina watched her leave APO. Kendall rubbed his head with his hand and shook his head. "I just had to deal with one nutcase for a few days. I didn't think I'd have to deal with another nutcase so soon after." Irina laughed. Kendall looked at her and laughed too. Irina smiled warmly at Kendall.

"Thank you for the laugh and for sticking up for me." He returned the smile.

"Don't mention it. I'm just so tired of the way Chase treats you. You'd think that after more than four years, she would've come around." Irina nodded.

"Yeah, I'd certainly like that. But I doubt she ever will think of me any differently." Irina smiled at Kendall a little sadly.

"Well, we can always hope that she'll one day come to her senses." They shared a smile. Kendall looked at his watch. "It's nearly time for you to leave, so I'll leave you to finish your note. See you tomorrow."

"Bye Kendall."

* * *

Two hours later Jack and Dixon returned to APO. Jack went to his office and sat down to work on his computer. He saw the note from Irina and started to read it. His face turned a little red as he read on.

"Quite a note, huh?" Jack looked up and saw Kendall standing with a grin on his face. He looked at him a little horrified.

"You read it?" Kendall laughed.

"No, of course not. I don't want to know what you two write to each other. The color on your face gave you away." Jack smiled a little embarrassed. Kendall looked out at the others and when he couldn't see Dixon anywhere, he walked into Jack's office closing the door behind him and took a seat. "But I also know about the note, because Chase stopped by when Irina was writing it to you." Jack's expression turned mad.

"I take it she gave Irina a hard time?" Kendall nodded.

"Yeah. She walked into your office as Irina was typing on your computer, and she was less than thrilled with Irina for using your computer. I think Chase read some of the note." Jack stared a little wide eyed and then got madder.

"When is she going to stop thinking that Irina is up to something? Irina has done nothing but excellent work for the CIA since she joined. She's helped prevent a lot of bad things from happening, and her teachings have proved to be life saving for agents. Chase has been at Sydney's house for dinner a few times with Marcus, and I know that Isabelle and Sarah have talked about Irina, and how much they love her. She's seen Irina on a few occasions with the triplets, her grandchildren, and Marshall and Carrie's children. She should know by now that Irina is not up to anything." Kendall nodded.

"If it helps, I didn't let Chase off easily." Kendall smiled and Jack smiled back at him.

"Thank you."

"No need to thank me. Jack can I ask you a question?" Jack nodded.

"Yes, of course."

"Why doesn't Irina ever stand up for herself when it comes to Chase? I mean I know she doesn't want to hurt Marcus. The rest of us don't want to hurt Marcus either, but we still talk back to Chase if she harasses Irina. But we only do that if Marcus is not around. Irina doesn't even talk back to Chase when Marcus is no where around. I've just been curious about this for years, and should probably have asked about this sooner or asked Irina."

"Irina doesn't talk back to Chase, because she feels that she deserves Chase's hatred." Kendall looked at Jack oddly.

"What? Why does Irina think she deserves Chase's hatred?"

"Because of all the bad things she's ever done. Even though she never killed all those agents, that she helped end Rambaldi, and have done nothing but excellent work since she joined the CIA, she still feels guilty for the crimes she's committed."

"That's ridiculous. Irina's been through hell in her past. Her time in Kashmir turned her into crime, and it was not her fault that she was sent to Kashmir." Jack shivered a little by the sound of Kashmir. He and Irina never talked about it, but he still vividly remembered the night she talked about it in Russia. Like the rest of the team had been informed about what had gone on in Irina's life, Kendall had likewise been told about what had happened with Irina and what had led her to her path of crime and Rambaldi. "She was also put through hell by her own sister. She's suffered enough, and she shouldn't have to suffer anymore. She shouldn't feel guilty anymore or let Chase get to her. She's been forgiven by everyone within the CIA. The ones who doubted her in the beginning, now completely trust her."

"I completely agree, and it's not that it's something she really thinks about. But she has a wonderful life now. She has her family back and doesn't have to live in hiding anymore. A part of her feels that she shouldn't have all of this, because of all she's done. She's forgiven herself for all she's done, but still she feels guilty too. Chase's hatred is a reminder of what she's done, which is why she never talks back to her, because she feels like she deserves it."

"Then it would be even better if Chase treated her as nicely as everyone else does." Jack nodded.

"Yeah, I think it would, and Irina wants that too. I mean, I still think she'd feel guilty. But as I said it's not something she thinks about that much. Though, it would definitely be better if Chase treated her better. For all of us. But I do know that Irina appreciates everyone who stands up for her. It has definitely helped her feel more accepted for who she was and for who she is." Kendall smiled.

"I'm glad." Jack smiled back. "Chase actually also brought some work over for the two of us and Marcus to look at. So if you have the time, I can get the folder and Marcus and the three of us can go over it now?" Jack nodded.

"Yes, I have the time." Kendall got up from the chair.

"Great. I'll just go and get the folder and Marcus. You want me to bring you back a cup of coffee?"

"Yes, thank you." Kendall nodded and left Jack's office.

* * *

In another part of the world another man sat down across from another man. One of them was drinking a glass of red wine, while the other who'd just arrived ordered a double scotch.

"Nice to see you again." He took a sip of his wine.

"You too."

"I trust you weren't followed?" The scotch drinking man looked at the wine drinking man a little angrily.

"You know I wasn't. It's an insult for you to say that to me." The wine drinking man gave a nod to the scotch drinking man.

"I apologize, but you can never be too careful." The scotch drinking man's drink arrived and they waited for the waitress to be far enough away before they started talking again. "I trust you've thought about my offer?"

"Of course. Otherwise I wouldn't be here."

"Does that mean you want to destroy Jack and Irina?"

"Absolutely. Nothing would give me greater pleasure. But we are equal partners in this. You don't control me or call the shots."

"I won't." He took a sip of his wine. "I suggest we send some of your men and some of my men to LA, so that we can get to know Jack and Irina's routines. It's going to take a long time to plan the perfect way to destroy them." The scotch drinking man nodded.

"I agree. Everything has to be perfect in order for us to be successful." He raised his glass. "To our partnership, and to bringing down Jack and Irina once and for all." The other man raised his glass too.

"That's definitely something worth drinking to."

**TBC**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

A week later Jack and Irina went to pick up the triplets from school. Sergei, who mostly picked up the triplets if he wasn't working, would be away for another week and a half working. Whenever Jack or Irina had the time, they'd pick up the triplets themselves. Then they'd either take them to soccer practice or piano lessons depending on the day of the week. If the triplets didn't have anywhere to be, they'd bring them home, and Sergei would be there to take care of them, if they had to return to work. If he was away working, a trusted agent would look after them until Jack and Irina got home. Other times the triplets would go home with friends and they would be picked up at their friends' houses.

As Jack and Irina got out of their car they saw Annie, the mother of a friend of the triplets from one of the other classes. When the triplets had started school almost every parent in the school was a little shocked to learn that Jack and Irina were parents to the triplets. Word traveled fast. Most of the teachers had been surprised too. Some had made comments behind Jack and Irina's backs about their ages, which Jack and Irina had ignored. But others had recovered from the shock and some now got on very well with them. Jack and Irina didn't really socialize much with the parents of their children's friends, when it had nothing to do with school, but there were some parents that they saw more than others. Annie was one of those people. Her daughter Tracy was friends with the triplets even if she wasn't in the same class as them. Once in a while Jack and Irina would have dinner with Annie and her husband Sean, and their children would play together while the grown ups talked over coffee after dinner.

"Hi, Jack. Hi, Irina." Annie smiled at them and they smiled back.

"Hi, Annie."

"So where's Sergei?"

"Off in the Brazilian rainforest to take pictures. He'll be back in a week and a half."

"Wow, how fascinating. You definitely have to tell me more about his trip when he comes home." Irina nodded. "I'm actually glad that you're here today, because I wanted to talk to you about the parents' night next month. I'm one the people in charge of getting some of the parents to help, so I wondered if you're not too busy, if you could bake some cakes, and get some other things needed for the evening."

"At the moment I don't think we'll be too busy to help out. But of course you never know." None of the parents of the friends and classmates of the triplets of course knew that Jack and Irina worked for the CIA. They all believed that they worked for a company that had dealings allover the world, which was why Jack and Irina often had busy work schedules and sometimes had to go abroad. Irina turned to Jack. He smiled at her and then looked at Annie.

"No, I don't expect us to be too busy. If we know which things to get now, we can buy them, and make sure that they're at the school in time, in case we don't have much time to shop in the days before parents' night."

"That's great to hear. Do you have a pen and paper? I can tell you some of the things to get, and just call you with the rest of the things later."

"We have a pen and a sheet of paper in the car." Irina motioned to walk over to the car as Jack looked at his watch.

"Would it be alright if I went along to the classroom? I just want to be there in case the kids are let out early" Irina smiled lovingly at Jack and Annie couldn't help but smile either. She worked in child services and dealt with parents neglecting their children all the time, so she was happy whenever she was around loving parents. To her, Jack and Irina were some of the most loving parents in the world.

"Go ahead, sweetheart. I'll take care of this and be with you shortly."

"I have to pick up Tracy too, so this shouldn't take long." Jack nodded at both women and left.

* * *

As Jack rounded the last corner not far from the classroom, he saw some of the mothers of the other children in the class. The group of women consisted of Michelle, a bleached blond haired woman in her mid thirties, who was waiting for her son Jeff, a good friend of the triplets. Tanya, also in her mid-thirties, who dyed her hair black and who was waiting for her daughter, Brianna. Shelley, likewise in her mid-thirties, who dyed her hair red, and who was waiting for her daughter Ashley. Penny, a woman in her early thirties, with brown hair and highlights, who was waiting for her daughter Cindy. And Carol, also in her early thirties, who also dyed her hair black, was waiting for her son Preston.

To Jack they were mothers of other children, but to Irina they were Blondie and the Bimbos. All five women had a thing for Jack, which Jack was completely oblivious to. None of the women liked Irina. They were all jealous of her, because she was married to Jack and he always gave her his full attention and never paid any attention to their advances and flirting. They couldn't understand why Jack was with someone, who in their eyes was so old, when he could have someone so much younger. Michelle, Shelley, and Carol were all still married, but it didn't stop them from making advances at Jack or flirting with him. Irina didn't like them drooling allover her husband, so she was always very possessive of him, whenever they were around.

Jack was likewise possessive of Irina when it came to Michelle's husband Stan, or any guy making advances or flirting with his wife. But Stan was the worst. He was always around Irina whenever all parents were together for an activity at school. He tried to make advances at her and tried touching her every chance he got, even if it just meant a hand on her shoulder. Irina was just as disgusted by Stan as Jack was, and she avoided him as much as possible, and always made sure to be close to Jack, which wasn't hard, because Jack was always around Irina when Stan was near her. Both Jack and Irina couldn't understand how such two people like Michelle and Stan, could have such a sweet son like Jeff. Jeff often spent time with the triplets, but Michelle and Stan were not some of the parents that Jack and Irina socialized with.

Michelle spotted Jack and nudged at the others. When Jack reached the women he smiled. Michelle moved a little ahead of the other women.

"Hi Jack. It's been awhile since we've seen you." Jack shrugged.

"Well, I've been busy at work, but had the time to pick up the kids today."

"There's nothing better than a loving father. Isn't that right ladies?" They all nodded and said yes, while Jack just smiled. Carol moved a bit closer to Jack.

"You really are a loving father, Jack. I wish Brad would be a loving father like you to Preston and Haley, but he's often too busy with work, and often too busy to take care of me."

"Well, with Brad being a pilot, his job is bound to take him away a lot. But I've seen him with his children, and he seems like a very caring dad to me." The answer annoyed Carol a little even though Jack was right, but she hid it quickly. Brad was away a lot, but a good father. But she wanted to have Jack's compassion, so she had lied. She shrugged.

"Well, you always see him when all parents and children are together with the kids for something regarding school. He's really different when we're at home."

Jack had talked with Brad on a few occasions, and knew Carol wasn't being completely honest. As any other father, Jack wanted to get to know the parents of the children the triplets went to school with. But as father, working in intelligence, he wanted to get to know the parents to make sure his children were safe. Brad and Carol were not someone Jack and Irina socialized with either, but from the time they'd spent together, Brad had never struck Jack as a bad person. He just shrugged. Michelle moved even closer to Jack.

"Jack, have you been working out? You really look like you've been working out. You look so buff and fit." Jack looked down at himself and just shook his head.

"Well, I work out, but I don't think I've changed that much lately. I've looked this way for a long time."

"Well, you certainly look strong, healthy, firm, and muscular. Are you dropping your kids off anywhere after class? It's just if you do, you and I could go somewhere for coffee, and you could tell me how you work out. I've been looking to get into a better shape, but I just don't know how to do it." Michelle stretched out a little, hoping that Jack would get a good look at her already fit body and comment on it. He, however, was only looking her in the eyes to her great disappointment.

"Thanks for the offer, but Irina and I are spending the day with the kids. We were able to take the rest of the day off, so we want to take advantage of that and use the time with them." The women looked at each other a little annoyed. Michelle turned her attention back to Jack.

"Irina? Irina's here?" She tried not to sound jealous.

"Yes, I'm right here." Irina rounded the corner. She'd been standing there for a while, hearing how the women were all drooling over Jack. She'd been waiting for the right moment to make her presences know, and by the look on the women's faces, she chose the perfect moment. She walked up to Jack and put a possessive arm around him. He didn't think that it was more than a loving gesture, and he put his arm around her too. She gave him a kiss, which she could sense made the other women look away. "I missed you." He returned the loving smile she was giving him.

"I missed you too." She turned her attention to the women.

"Hello ladies." They all just nodded at her, not really attempting to smile. "Yes, Jack works out. In fact we work out together and in more ways and positions than one, if you catch my drift." She winked at them, they gaped at her, and Jack's face turned a little red. "Oh, and I can attest to him being firm, fit, and muscular." She ran her other hand up and down his chest. The women gaped even more and were quite jealous, while Jack turned a darker shade of red. She gave him a kiss on the cheek as the bell rang. Irina looked at the women again. "Saved by the bell, ladies." She smiled triumphantly as she received annoyed looks from the five women.

A few seconds later the hall was flooded with children. The triplets spotted Jack and Irina and smiled broadly at them. They went to them and got a kiss and a hug. Caitie looked between her parents.

"Can we go to the carrousel at the park for a little while? We've done most of our homework for tomorrow." Jack and Irina looked at each other and smiled. Irina tucked a loose strand of hair behind Caitie's ear.

"Of course we can, sweetheart." The triplets were excited and gave their parents another hug. Blondie and the Bimbos looked on jealous when Jack took Irina by the hand and left the school with the triplets.

* * *

They had a great time at the park and when they got home the triplets did their homework, while Jack and Irina looked on and helped them in case they needed it. After they were done with the homework they spent some time outside playing. The triplets were now watching the rest of a cartoon, while Jack and Irina were making the rest of the dinner. Irina got out the dishes and glasses and put them on the counter, while Jack was putting a salad together. She looked at him.

"Why don't you ever tell women to stop flirting with you?" Jack turned and looked at her curiously.

"What? Who's been flirting with me?" Irina rolled her eyes.

"Blondie and the Bimbos." He kept looking at her curiously, but then he realized who she was referring to.

"Oh, you mean the moms, who were waiting for their children." She rolled her eyes again.

"Yes Jack, those bimbos. I hope no other women have been flirting with you." He laughed.

"No, no women have been flirting with me, and I'm not even sure that Michelle and the other women were flirting with me." He went back to making the salad.

"Oh honestly. How many times do I have to tell you that those bimbos are flirting with you? It's been going on for such a long time that you should realize it by now." Jack chopped the cucumber and didn't really pay any attention to the words coming out of his mouth.

"Sweetheart, I only have eyes for you. I don't pay any attention to other women, so I really don't know when someone is flirting with me." Irina smiled lovingly. She went over to Jack, took the knife out of his hand to his confusion, took his face in her hands and kissed him passionately. When their lips parted he looked at her confused. "What was that for?" She laughed a little.

"Don't you realize what you just said?" He went back in his mind, and smiled when he realized what he said. She gave him another kiss and put her arms around his neck. He put his arms around her waist.

"I didn't pay much attention to what I was saying, because it just comes natural to me that I only have eyes for you." He gave her a soft kiss and they kept smiling at each other.

"Yeah, I know that it's natural for you, but it's still wonderful to hear." They grinned a little, before returning to making out.

The triplets walked into the kitchen and only glanced briefly at their parents. Then Maddie grabbed the plates, Ethan got the glasses, and Caitie got the knives and forks from the drawer. It was natural for them to see their parents making out all the time that they didn't pay much attention to it. They were happy that their parents were in love, and they were never grossed out by how much their parents were kissing each other.

After dinner they played in the back yard. Later Jack looked at his watch.

"I think I'm just going to get the juice, and we can all sit out here and have a glass before your bedtime." The all nodded and Jack started to leave.

"I want to help." Jack stopped, bended his knees, and Ethan got up on his back. Jack ran with Ethan until they reached the door and they both laughed. "Daddy?"

"Yes."

"Have you thought about where you and mommy are going for Valentine's Day?" Jack smiled.

"No, not yet."

"You do realize Valentine's Day is only two weeks away, right?" Jack let out a laugh.

"Yes, I do realize that."

"You and mommy could go to your special place on the beach."

The first time Jack and Irina had gone to their cave on the beach after they got back from their honeymoon, the triplets had asked where they were going. Jack and Irina had told them that they had a special place on the beach, and had then showed them the picture on the mantle from their seventh wedding anniversary and told them that the picture had been taken at that place. Now also the rest of their family and their friends knew they had a special place on the beach, but the location was still a secret to everyone and would remain that. Jack smiled.

"Yeah, that's always a possibility."

"Have you gotten mommy a present yet?" Jack put Ethan down when they got to the kitchen, and gave him a kiss on the head.

"No, I haven't taken care of that either. But you know mommy and I aren't getting each other any big gifts, so I'm sure I'll be able to find something." Ethan smiled as Jack handed him the juice.

"Yeah, I know, daddy. I just like hearing what you get for mommy whenever you're getting her a present, and where you're taking her whenever you go anywhere." Jack smiled at his son.

"When I know where we're going and what I'm getting her, I'll tell you like I always do." Ethan nodded and smiled, and he and Jack went back to the back yard.

* * *

Two days later Jack was waiting for Ethan, who had just finished soccer practice. He noticed Michelle and Carol coming towards him. However, someone else noticed them coming towards Jack too, and she just reached him before they did, walking up behind Jack.

"Hi Jack."

Jack turned and smiled when he saw Carrie. She greeted him with a hug and a kiss on the cheek. Michelle and Carol sent a few angry looks in Carrie's direction. Mitchell was on the same soccer team as Ethan, Jeff, and Preston, so Blondie and the Bimbos knew that Marshall and Carrie were great friends with Jack and Irina. Michelle and Carol had told the other bimbos about Carrie, and they had even seen her a few times at soccer matches. Everyone was jealous that she had such a great friendship with Jack. Instead of walking up to Jack, Michelle and Carol left. Jack noticed them leave and let out a small laugh.

"Hi Carrie. I take your greeting had something to do with Michelle and Carol being on their way over to see me?"

"Jack, you're my friend. I often greet my friends like that." He cocked an eyebrow at her and looked amused.

"You don't greet me like that every day at the office. Yes, you do greet me like that sometimes, when we get together out of the office, but since we saw each other a little while ago at work, I don't think you would've greeted me like that if Michelle and Carol hadn't been on their way over." Carrie nodded.

"Well, no point in hiding anything from you." He shook his head and they both laughed. "I'm just standing up for Irina. She's my friend and I'm not about to let those bimbos get anywhere near her man." Jack laughed a little harder at that.

"I'll make sure to let Irina know, you were looking out for me."

A few seconds later Ethan, Mitchell, and everyone else left practice and went to their parents. Both Ethan and Mitchell smiled when they spotted Jack and Carrie.

"Hi, mommy." Mitchell got a hug and a kiss from his mother.

"Hi, sweetie."

"Hi, daddy." Ethan got the same treatment from his father.

"Hi, sweetheart." Ethan then looked at Carrie and Mitchell looked at Jack.

"Hi, aunt Carrie."

"Hi, sweetie."

"Hi, uncle Jack."

"Hi, buddy. How did practice go?"

"It was great. I made a goal and Ethan made two." Jack and Carrie smiled proudly.

"That's our boys. We should get going, sweetie. We have to pick up your siblings. See you tomorrow, Jack. Bye, Ethan."

"Bye, aunt Carrie. Bye, Mitchell." Mitchell smiled back at Ethan and Jack.

"Bye, Ethan. Bye, uncle Jack." Jack and Ethan waved at Carrie and Mitchell.

"Bye, Mitchell. See you tomorrow, Carrie." Carrie and Mitchell walked off to their car in one direction, while Jack and Ethan walked off to their car in the other direction. When Jack and Ethan got in the car, Jack smiled back at his son. "I've made plans for where mommy and I are going for Valentine's Day." Ethan smiled broadly and was very excited.

"Where are you going, daddy?"

"We're going to the inn where we got married." Ethan smiled broader. "Nothing was booked, so I was able to get the cottage."

"Mommy's going to love that."

"Yeah, I know."

"Have you thought about what to get her yet?" Jack let out a small laugh.

"No, not yet. But the minute I know, I'll let you know." Ethan grinned.

"Okay daddy."

* * *

The next day Irina and Nadia had lunch together. Irina sometimes had lunch with her or Sydney, and sometimes all three of them had lunch together. Likewise Jack sometimes had lunch with Nadia alone and Sydney alone, and other times he'd have lunch with both of them. It was a way for Jack and Irina to spend some alone time with their two oldest children. If they had the time, they'd have lunch outside of the office, and if not they'd have lunch together at one of their desks or in Jack's office. Sometimes all four of them would have lunch together.

"Are you and Eric going anywhere for Valentine's Day?" Nadia shrugged.

"I don't know. We've talked about it, and Kendall offered to look after Becky and David. He said he could talk to Sergei and suggest that the two of them take care of them, the triplets, Isabelle, Sarah, and Nicholas. That way Sydney and Vaughn could go out too."

"That's nice of him to offer." Nadia nodded. "Sergei would definitely not mind. Did Kendall ask Sydney and Michael?"

"I talked to him before you and I left APO, and he said he'd talk to them. I guess by the time we get back, he'll have talked to them." She took a sip of her water. "Kendall only offered today to look after Becky and David, so Eric and I haven't had that much time to think about it. But I guess it would be nice to go out for a couple of hours." Irina smiled lovingly at her daughter.

"I know that you and Eric don't really like to be away from the kids. It's the same way with Sydney and Michael and your father and me." Nadia smiled back. "But sometimes it's nice to have an evening to yourselves, and it's then so much greater to come back home again."

"Yeah, I know. Eric and I haven't really been anywhere alone since David was born, so I think it'd be a good idea to take Kendall up on his offer." Irina nodded. "So have you and dad made any plans yet? Or I guess the question should be, if dad has made any plans yet." Irina let out a small laugh.

"Something tells me that he has, but that he also won't tell me until we're on our way to our destination." Nadia laughed and Irina laughed a little too and then smiled lovingly. "But by now I've gotten used to him not telling me where we're going. He's being romantic and it's sweet." Nadia smiled at the look in her mother's eyes. She always loved to see the love her parents had in their eyes for each other.

"Have you gotten him a present yet?"

"I've been able to get my hands on some old historical books that your father has wanted for so many years. Whenever he was away in the beginning of our marriage, he would look for these books while he was out buying a book for me. But he never managed to find the books."

"That's great, mom. How did you find them?"

"I found them in a little bookshop in a small town we were visiting, when we were at the cabin for Christmas. I found them between Christmas and New Year, so it was too late to give them to him as a present for Christmas. I thought about giving them to him right after I found them, but also thought they'd make a great gift. So I sent them to Sergei, and he's been keeping them for me ever since. I thought about giving them to him for his birthday, but Valentine's Day came sooner, and I just can't wait any longer." Nadia smiled at how her mother was so excited to give her father the books. "And I'm also giving him a t-shirt." Nadia looked at her mother curiously.

"A t-shirt? Why a t-shirt?"

"It's not so much the t-shirt. It's the message on the t-shirt, and that's not really for your father, but for someone else." There was a glint in her mother's eyes that Nadia couldn't quite explain. She didn't really want to ask about it, but just thought it was one of those little jokes her parents shared. She just smiled and nodded.

* * *

When Irina and Nadia returned to APO, Nadia walked over to Sydney who was standing by the coffee maker. Sydney looked up at Nadia and smiled at her.

"Hi. How was lunch with mom?"

"Great as always. We talked about Valentine's Day."

"Yeah, Kendall said he'd offered to take care of Becky and David and that he could look after them with Sergei, who'd be taken care of the triplets. He also said they could take care of Isabelle, Sarah, and Nicholas. But from what he said you and Eric hadn't decided on whether or not to take him up on that offer." Nadia shook her head.

"No, we haven't. He only asked us this morning, so we haven't had much time to think about it. But after talking with mom, I think it'll be a great idea to take him up on the offer. It'll only be for a couple of hours." Sydney nodded. "Are you and Vaughn going to take him up on the offer?"

"Yes. We talked it over for a while, and finally decided to take him up on the offer. We haven't really been alone out of the house since Nicholas was born, so it'll be nice to be alone for a little while. And like you said, it'll only be for a few hours." Nadia nodded.

"Of course, I still have to talk it over with Eric, but I don't expect it to be a problem." Sydney smiled.

"I'm sure it won't be. As much as you and Eric both want to be with your kids, I also don't think that Eric would mind having you to himself for a few hours." They both grinned a little. Nadia noticed Eric.

"If you'll excuse me, I think I'll just go and talk to Eric now." Sydney nodded. After Nadia left, she spotted Vaughn talking with Marshall, and she decided to go and talk to him, so that they could make plans for Valentine's Day themselves.

* * *

Nearly a week later, Jack was picking Ethan up from soccer practice again. He noticed Michelle and Carol, and wasn't all that thrilled about seeing them coming near him. Jeff had been to Jack and Irina's house to play with the triplets a few days ago, and Jack had given Jeff a ride home. Michelle had been outside when they arrived, and he thought she was a bit clingy once Jeff had gone inside. Jack had felt uncomfortable, excused himself quickly saying he wanted to get back home, because he missed Irina. He could tell that Michelle hadn't been too thrilled to hear that. He didn't think there was any way to escape Michelle and Carol, and was about to step closer, when he heard the sound of a car horn. He turned and smiled when he saw Marshall pulling into the spot next to his own car.

"Hi, Jack." Marshall waved at Jack, and he couldn't help but smile.

"Hi, Marshall." He looked in Michelle and Carol's direction, and could see that they turned around and left. He laughed a little.

"What are you laughing about?" Marshall looked at him curiously.

"Oh it's just Michelle and Carol. They were on their way over, but turned around and left, which I'm actually quite relieved about."

"I think they left because of me. I think I make them a little uncomfortable, because I sometimes ramble too much, and sometimes start to sweat. I don't think they like me very much. They think I'm weird." Jack laughed a little more. He'd noticed that they didn't really like Marshall when they'd all been to watch their children's soccer matches. They always seem to leave whenever Marshall was around.

"Well, it's their problem that they don't know what a great guy you are." Marshall beamed at Jack's comment. Although they'd been great friends for the last couple of years, it still meant the world to Marshall to hear the great Jack Bristow tell him that.

"Here come our boys." Jack turned and saw that Ethan and Mitchell were running towards them. They boys received hugs and kisses from their fathers, and a greeting from their uncles. "How was practice?" The boys smiled.

"We each scored a goal, uncle Marshall." Marshall put his hands up in triumphant and then gave both boys a high five. Jack smiled proudly and also gave the boys a high five.

"That's great." Jack looked at his watch. "We should probably get going. Uncle Sergei is coming home today, and he's coming over for dinner. I promised mommy we'd go to the store on our way home to get a few things."

"Then we won't keep you waiting. Say hi to everyone. Bye guys." Marshall and Mitchell gave a wave and smiled. Jack and Ethan smiled back, and Ethan waved too.

"You too, Marshall. Bye." Jack and Ethan got in the car, and Jack turned in his seat, so that he could look at Ethan who was in the back. "I got a present for mommy for Valentine's Day." Ethan smiled broadly.

"What did you get her, daddy?" Jack pulled out a small velvet bag from his inner pocket. He took out an old necklace and handed it to Ethan. He looked at it and after a few seconds smiled at his father. "It's beautiful, daddy. Mommy's going to love it." Jack smiled lovingly at his son.

"I think so too. I found it today at an antique shop. It's Russian, so I think mommy will really love that." Ethan smiled and nodded. He handed the necklace back to his father and Jack put it back, in the velvet bag. He gave Ethan the bag. "I trust you have a safe place in your room where you can hide this for me?" Ethan smiled proudly and nodded.

"Yes, I have the perfect place. Mommy won't be able to find it." Jack smiled even more.

Whenever Jack bought a present for Irina and it wasn't that big, Ethan, who was always told what his father was getting his mother, would hide Jack's present. It was something Jack only shared with his son. It had been like this since their first Christmas together. Jack had taken Ethan with him, when he went to buy Irina's Christmas presents. Ethan had promised to keep quiet about the presents, and he had felt so proud when Jack had trusted him to find a good hiding place for the earrings he'd bought for Irina. Since then Jack had included Ethan in all presents he bought for Irina. It was one of those things that made their father/son relationship so special.

"I'm glad." Jack gave his son one last smile before he turned in his seat, and they drove off to the store.

**TBC**


	5. Chapter 5

**SofiaBlackBristow:** Thank you very much. I'm thrilled to hear that you love it so much. I hope that continues no matter what direction I take the story in.

* * *

**Chapter 5**

Jack, Irina, the triplets, and Sergei had a great evening together. Sergei talked eagerly about his trip and everyone was very excited to hear about it. Like every time he went away, he brought presents home for everyone. The triplets had been enjoying their presents until it was their bedtime. Sergei stayed for a little while longer before he decided to go home.

"I should get home. It's getting late. You need to get up early and I could use some sleep." They all got up and started walking to the hall.

"So, you're still alright with you and Kendall taking care of all the kids here on Valentine's Day?" Sergei nodded.

"Yes absolutely. Tell him to give me a call tomorrow, and we can make the final arrangements."

"Okay, we'll do that." Sergei put on his jacket.

"I'll walk you out to your car."

"Okay, then I'll get ready for bed. Great to have you back, Sergei. See you tomorrow." Jack and Sergei gave each other a quick hug.

"Thanks, Jack. See you tomorrow." Jack started to walk upstairs as Irina and Sergei walked outside to Sergei's car. When they stood by his car, he turned to Irina and smiled. "I take it, you walking me to my car, has something to do with Jack's Valentine's Day present?" Irina let out a small laugh.

"Yes. I thought that I could meet you in the driveway when you come over, and I could get the present. I can then put it in my overnight bag that I'll have in the car." Sergei nodded.

"Good plan. So have Jack said anything about where you're going?" Irina shook her head smiling.

"No, not yet. All I know is that we'll be away overnight, like we always are." Sergei laughed a little.

"Not surprising that he hasn't said where you're going." They both laughed a little. "I should get home. Bye, Irina." They gave each other a hug.

"Bye, Sergei. See you tomorrow."

Irina watched Sergei leave, and then walked back inside. When she got upstairs she checked in on the triplets and then went to her bedroom. Jack smiled at her when she entered and she smiled back at him. She went to the bathroom to get ready for bed, as Jack got under the covers.

"It was great to hear about Sergei's trip. I look forward to seeing the pictures." He talked a little louder so that she could hear him in the bathroom.

"Yes, it was, and I look forward to seeing the pictures too." She also spoke a little louder, so that he could hear her too. "I think he and Kendall will have a fun evening with the kids on Valentine's Day."

"Oh yeah absolutely. They'll spoil all the kids rotten." He heard Irina laughing from the bathroom.

A few seconds later she came out. Jack sat up in the bed to get a better look at her. Whenever they didn't undress each other, he always loved seeing her take her clothes off when they went to bed. That's why he usually got under the covers first. He smiled from ear to ear, and Irina shook her head a little at him laughing.

"You know this isn't really fair. The last couple of nights, you've gotten under the covers first, and got to see me undress. When do I get to get under the covers first, so I can see you undress?" Jack shrugged.

"Can I help it if I'm quick in getting to bed?" They both laughed.

Irina took off her clothes with Jack watching her very intently. Although she loved watching Jack undress, she also didn't mind having him watching her undress. She loved having him watch her, and loved that he still found her so attractive. She got under the covers and kissed him.

"Tomorrow you're getting under the covers last." Jack nodded.

"Okay, it's a deal." He kissed her. "But just so you know, I'll be going to the bathroom after you've undressed." She slapped him playfully on the chest, and they laughed.

"Then we might as well undress each other tomorrow." Jack looked at her seductively.

"I like the sound of that." She saw the hunger in his eyes. She spoke to him huskily.

"In that case, I think we should get a head start on what's to come tomorrow, after we've undressed each other." He leaned in closer and smiled.

"I like the sound of that too." They kissed passionately and deeply, and it would be a while, before they decided to sleep.

* * *

Everyone at APO was excited about Valentine's Day. Sydney and Vaughn were going to one of their favorite restaurants near the beach. Afterwards they'd be spending the rest of the evening on the beach. Nadia and Eric were also going out to dinner, to a Spanish restaurant, where they could dance. Marshall and Carrie were going out to dinner and a movie, while Marshall's mother would be taking care of their children. Dixon would be spending a quiet evening at home with Chase, seeing as she was getting home from work late, and Stephen and Robin wouldn't be home. However, for some the day didn't start off that well. The phone rang and woke a very sleepy Kendall, and it took a few rings before he answered.

"Kendall."

"_That took you long enough. Do you realize that I could've been dead before you bothered to answer the phone?" _

"Katya?"

"_You should really get yourself __a hearing aid, if you're not sure who you're talking to. Yes, it's me."_ Kendall groaned and ran a hand over his head. He looked at his digital alarm clock. Then he got a little annoyed.

"Why are you calling me at 2.00 in the morning?"

"_It's 10.00 in the morning."_

"What?" Now it was Katya's turn to be a little annoyed with Kendall. She spoke louder.

"_I said, it's 10.00 in the morning. You should really get a hearing aid."_

Kendall got out of bed at once. He was a bit more awake, but not enough that he realized that his bedroom was still too dark for it to be 10.00 in the morning. He didn't turn on the lights as he went to his window, and because of that he stumbled hard into his bed with his foot.

"Ow. Son of a bitch."

"_Excuse me? What did you just call me?"_ Katya spoke harshly as Kendall groaned from the pain in his foot.

"I wasn't talking to you." He pulled away the curtains and groaned even more when he saw that it was still dark outside. "Katya, it's still dark outside. It can't be 10.00 in the morning."

"_I'm in London and it's 10.00 in the morning here. I never said it wasn't 2.00 in the morning in LA."_ He let out a frustrated grunt.

"Why are you calling me at this hour? Are you in trouble?" She got even more annoyed.

"_Me, in trouble?"_

"Yes. I'm your contact person, and you're calling me at this hour. What else am I supposed to think?"

"_First of all, I don't get into trouble. I work for the CIA, so how on earth am I supposed to be in trouble__ when I don't go out on missions? Second of all, should I find myself in some kind of predicament, I'm smart enough not to get caught. Need I remind you that I'm a Derevko? And third of all, if I was in some kind of trouble, why would I bother calling you? I would call Jack. He's a director, while you're merely an assistant director."_

"Fine, fine. So you're not in trouble. But why are you calling me at 2.00 in the morning?"

"_While it's 2.00 in the morning in LA, it's 10.00 in the morning here in London, and believe it or not, but some of us actually have work to do. I'm been assigned to a case that's more of a five person__'s job, than just one. The report has to be done by tomorrow, so you'll be assisting me."_

"What?"

"_Honestly, you need to get yourself a hearing aid."_ He groaned even more frustrated.

"I can hear perfectly fine. Why do you need my assistance? Surely there are people in London who can help you."

"_No, there aren't. You agreed to be my contact person, and you're the one I'm supposed to turn to if I need anything. Well, I need you to look things up on the CIA database and the internet in general. So I suggest you make yourself some coffee, because we have a lot of work to do."_ He shook his head in frustration.

"Fine. I'll put on some coffee and turn on the computer."

Katya had been talking Kendall's ear off, telling him to look up this and that, and annoyed him plenty that he hadn't noticed the time. He could hear a knock on the door at Katya's end.

"_That's my tea. Hang on."_ She got back a few minutes later. _"Proceed."_

"What time is it?"

"_Are you referring to my time or yours?"_ He gave her an annoyed grunt.

"My time."

"_Sur__ely you have a watch or a clock."_ He grunted again, knowing she had a point. He hadn't put his watch on, but he had a clock in his office. He looked at it.

"Oh shit. It's 7.30. I have to be at work in thirty minutes. Katya you have to find out the rest on your own."

"_I most certainly will not. You're my contact person, and you're obligated to help me."_

"I have to get to work."

"_We can continue this when you're at work. But we still have a lot of work to do, so I'll expect you at APO within long."_

"It'll be at least an hour before I get there."

"_Fine. I'll call you at 8.30."_

"Hang on. I said at least an hour."

"_All you get is an hour. So I suggest you hurry, and don't leave me waiting."_ With that she hung up the phone. Kendall looked at the phone for a few seconds and then hung up. He rubbed his head and gave out a frustrated grunt, before getting up from his chair.

* * *

Nearly an hour later at APO Dixon walked up to Jack and Irina, who were standing by the coffee maker. He smiled at them and they smiled back.

"Happy Valentine's Day."

"Happy Valentine's Day, Marcus."

"Happy Valentine's Day. Can I get you a cup of coffee?"

"Yeah, thanks Jack." Jack poured Dixon a cup of coffee, while Dixon looked around a bit. "Have you guys seen Kendall?" Jack handed Dixon his coffee.

"There was a note from him saying he was running late, but he didn't give any explanation why he was late." Just then Irina spotted Kendall.

"He's here now." Kendall walked straight for the coffee. "Happy Valentine's Day, Kendall." They all smiled at him, but he wasn't really smiling back.

"Yeah, yeah. Happy Valentine's Day."

"What's wrong with you? You look like hell, and you don't seem to be in a very good mood." He took a sip of his coffee, and then pointed at Irina.

"Your nutcase of a sister called me at 2.00, and I've been on the phone with her ever since." Jack and Dixon laughed a little, while Irina looked at him curiously.

"Katya called you? Why did she call you?" He took another sip.

"She'd been assigned to a case that was more of a five person's job, than a job for one. She said that as her contact person, I was obligated to help her."

"Really?" Irina was surprised to hear that.

"Yeah. I've been looking things up on the CIA database and on the internet all night. It didn't help that I'd only gotten less than an hour of sleep when she called. I talked to my sister-in-law for awhile, and then when she and Philip went out, I talked with my nephews for a few hours." Kendall's sister-in-law had gotten married again, to Philip, who was a zookeeper. Kendall was happy for his sister-in-law and for his nephews and he liked Philip. He didn't get to see his family much, since they still lived in Australia, but he talked to them a lot on the phone and they sent emails back and forth to each other. They all heard the phone ringing in Kendall's office. He looked at his watch and grunted. "Right on time." They looked at him puzzled.

"What's right on time? Who's calling you?"

"Katya."

"Again?"

"Yeah. Apparently we didn't finish with work. If you'll excuse me, Katya will be pissed if I don't answer the phone soon." They all nodded at him and Kendall left.

"Say hi to her." Kendall waved his hand up in the air.

"I will." Jack and Dixon laughed a bit more, while Irina shook her head at them. They just shrugged and Irina laughed a little too. When Jack and Dixon returned to work, Irina stayed for a few seconds looking in Kendall's direction. She smiled before returning to work too.

Kendall picked up the phone and was just about to talk, but never got the chance.

"_I told you not to keep me waiting." _He had to pull the phone away from his ear, when Katya shouted. He grunted frustrated.

"I just arrived to work a few minutes ago. I had to get some coffee, because I'm still tired from being up all night. I spoke only briefly with Irina, Jack, and Marcus. They all say hi."

"_That was nice of them. They can teach you a lesson in manners."_ He rolled his eyes at her comment. _"Aren't you afraid that your eyes will get stuck in your head the way you always continue to roll them?"_ He stared a little wide eyed and looked around his office. _"Stop looking around your office. I'm in London and I haven't planted any cameras or other devices in your office or anywhere else at APO."_ He was about to speak but didn't get the chance. _"Now if you're done rolling your eyes, I suggest you turn on your computer, so that we can get back to work. You've wasted plenty of my time."_ He grunted, but did as she said.

* * *

A while later Sydney and Nadia walked into their father's office. They all smiled at each other and Sydney walked around one side of his desk, and Nadia walked the other way. They gave him a kiss on his cheeks simultaneously.

"Happy Valentine's Day, dad."

"Happy Valentine's Day, dad."

They both handed him a little heart shaped piece of chocolate. When Sydney was little, Irina would buy her a heart shaped piece of chocolate for her to give to her father on Valentine's Day. When Sydney had remembered that tradition, she'd told Nadia, and they'd decided to pick up that tradition again. They'd also gotten Maddie and Caitie in on the tradition, and now Irina also received a heart shaped piece of chocolate from Ethan. They'd picked up the tradition since the first Valentine's Day after their parents renewed their vows.

"Thanks, sweethearts."

"So, where are you taking mom tonight?" Jack let out a small laugh.

"I'm not telling you. I never tell you, so this year is no different."

"Oh come on, dad. You know we won't tell mom."

"Yeah, I know. But you'll probably be all giggling and full of smiles, and your mother will know that something's up. And I wouldn't put it passed you to tell her that you know where I'm taking her. You won't mention the location, but she'll come with suggestions, and I doubt you'll be able to keep a straight face, should she guess correctly." They both gaped at their father.

"Give us a little more credit than that."

"Yeah, honestly, dad. We're agents. We're able to keep secrets."

"Yes, you're brilliant at your job. But when it comes to something private, like where I'm taking your mother for Valentine's Day, you won't be able to be completely quiet or keep a straight face." He looked at them. They looked at each other and then realized that he was right. They nodded at him and they all shared a laugh.

"So, I guess we shouldn't bother asking you, what you're getting her, because you won't tell us that either." He nodded.

"That's right." They laughed again. "Now instead of asking me about my Valentine's Day plans with your mother, why don't you go and do some work?" They smiled at him, gave him another kiss on the cheek and left his office.

* * *

Since talking to Kendall, Irina had been busy with work. She'd been on the phone with Washington and Russia, and hadn't even had time to say hi to Sydney and Nadia. They had arrived at APO at 9.00, and had been pretty busy with work themselves. She had a few minutes off before having to return to work and decided she'd go and find them. She brought her coffee mug and found them standing talking to Carrie by the coffee maker.

"Hi, girls. Happy Valentine's Day." They smiled back at their mother and gave her a hug.

"Hi, mom. Happy Valentine's Day."

"Happy Valentine's Day, mom." Having already met Carrie in the morning, she smiled at her as she poured herself a cup of coffee.

"So what are you three talking about?"

"We were just about to tell how our Valentine's Day started." Irina smiled and nodded. Sydney turned her attention to everyone. "Well, Vaughn woke me up with breakfast in bed. Eggs, bacon, and toast. Then after we ate, he made me a bobble bath, woke up the kids and got them ready by himself. On our way here he stopped by a flower shop and bought me the roses that are on my desk." They all smiled.

"Eric woke me up with breakfast too. He made me an omelet. After that he brought the kids in. Becky said she'd wanted to get me a present too, so Eric had taken her and David shopping and they gave me a shirt that I'll be wearing tonight. He got the kids ready while I got ready, and on our way here, he stopped by a flower shop too, and got me the roses that are on my desk." Everyone smiled at that too.

"Marshall brought all the kids in and we had breakfast together in bed. He made heart shaped pancakes, heart shaped toast, and heart shaped fried eggs. We then got the kids ready and on our way here Marshall stopped at a flower shop too, and bought me the roses that are on my desk." That had everyone smiling too. Sydney looked at her mother.

"Did dad make you breakfast in bed too, mom?" Irina shook her head.

"No. I don't really like breakfast in bed. Too many crumbs allover." She smiled. "But he woke me up with a kiss. Then he started trailing kisses down my body and started caressing…" Sydney waved her hands in the air.

"Mom, stop." Nadia had shut her eyes shaking her head.

"Why do you keep doing this to us?" Carrie laughed a little.

"Well my Valentine's Day morning certainly pales in comparison to yours." Irina laughed too. She then looked at her daughters apologetically.

"Sorry, girls." They looked at her again rolling their eyes. She smiled at them. "Your father might not have gotten me an omelet, but he did get me something else that starts with an o." She winked at them. Sydney and Nadia gaped at her and Carrie laughed.

"Now that's what I call a happy Valentine's Day." Irina looked at Carrie smiling.

"I was certainly happy. Very happy. In fact…" Nadia caught her off.

"No, mom. No details."

"How many times do we have to tell you that we don't want any details?" Sydney and Nadia both shook their heads at their mother.

"I thought we were sharing about our Valentine's Day mornings?"

"We don't share like that. Not even on Valentine's Day." Irina laughed.

"Okay. I won't share." Sydney and Nadia shook their heads, while Carrie laughed. "Well, I should probably get back to work. Talk to you all later." She left and laughed a little on her way to her desk. Carrie looked at Sydney and Nadia and laughed a little.

"No doubt her Valentine's Day will end happily too." They gaped a little at her and she left laughing.

* * *

Several hours later Kendall was still on the phone with Katya. He looked at his watch.

"Katya, I have to go."

"_You what? No. We're not done yet." _

"I'm sorry, but I don't have any choice. It's 4.00 and I have plans."

"_Well, you're just going to have to cancel those plans. As my contact person you have an obligation remember?"_ He gave her a frustrated grunt.

"Yes, I do remember. But I've made plans to look after the triplets, Sydney's kids, and Nadia's kids with Sergei. Sergei was going to look after the triplets anyway, so I suggested that we could look after them together and Sydney's and Nadia's kids too, so that Sydney, Nadia, Vaughn, and Eric could have the evening to themselves. I made them a promise, and I have no intention on breaking that promise. Besides, we've been working on this for a total of eleven hours. Surely we must be about done by now."

"_Well, not really. But since you've made a promise to the kids, I won't stand in the way of your plans. What time do you have to be there?"_

"Around 5.00, 5.30."

"_That__ still gives us plenty of time to work."_

"No, it doesn't. I have to go home and pick up a few things, and I have to help Sergei with dinner. I'll be lucky if I make it by 5.30."

"_What, you have to put on make-up first before you leave the house? It shouldn't take you that long to leave APO, get a few things, and then get to Jack and Irina's house."_ Now he was even more annoyed.

"I do not wear make-up. It takes a few minutes to finish things here, and a while to get home. When I get home, I'd like to change my clothes. Then I have to gather my things I'm bringing, and then it takes a while before I get to Jack and Irina's house. All of that will take more than an hour. The longer I talk to you, the longer it'll take for me to get to Jack and Irina's house, and now it's passed 4.00. It's not fair to let Sergei do all the work."

"_Fine. I suppose I'll have to do the rest of the report myself."_

"I apologize that I'm leaving you with the rest of the work to finish on your own, but I really don't have any choice."

"_Well so you say. Say hi to everyone for me."_ Kendall rubbed his head and spoke politely.

"I will. Good luck with the report and enjoy the rest of your evening. Or night since it's passed midnight in London. Bye Katya." She hung up without saying anything and he rolled his eyes. He turned off his computer and tidied up before walking out. Eric and Nadia spotted him as they were about to leave.

"No offense, Kendall, but you look like hell." He nodded.

"Don't tell me that you've been on the phone with Katya all this time?"

"Yes, I have. And she's talked my ear off and annoyed me plenty." He yawned and rubbed his head with his hands. Eric and Nadia looked at each other.

"You look really tired. Are you sure you're up for looking after the kids tonight?"

"Yeah, if you want, we can cancel our plans?"

"Yes, I'm tired, but I'll be fine. I won't have you cancel your plans. But just to be on the safe side, could you pick me up on your way to Jack and Irina's house? If I continue to be this tired, I don't really want to be driving home late in the evening."

"Yeah sure. We should be able to make it to mom and dad's house at 5.30, like we planned."

"Great. Thank you. I should leave then."

"We'll walk out with you. We're leaving too." They walked passed Dixon on their way out.

"Have a nice Valentine's Day, Marcus."

"The same to all of you." He looked at Kendall and let out a small laugh. "I take it you've been talking to Katya all this time?" Kendall nodded and Dixon laughed a little more. "Well, I hope you'll be able to get a good night's sleep tonight."

"Yeah, I hope so too." They all laugh a little.

"See you all tomorrow."

"Bye, Marcus."

* * *

At Jack and Irina's house, Irina left her bedroom, heading for the car with her overnight bag. From his room Ethan watched her leave. When he knew that his mother was far enough away, he quietly slipped into his parents' bedroom. Jack was packing his bag, and Ethan walked quickly but silently up next to him. He got the velvet bag out of his pocket and gave it to his father. Jack quickly slipped it in his bag underneath his clothes. He zipped his bag, looked at Ethan and they winked at each other. Jack kissed Ethan's head and then Ethan left. He looked in his son's direction. Jack had no doubt that his son would make a brilliant agent. How could he not with the parents he had. He also knew that Maddie and Caitie would make brilliant agents as well, but he hoped that none of them would ever follow into their parents' or their sisters' footsteps. Jack laughed a little to himself before leaving the bedroom.

Irina walked out the door to the car just as Sergei pulled into the drive. Jack and Irina had been able to take the rest of the day off after the triplets got out of school, so Sergei hadn't needed to take care of them. He pulled up next to Jack and Irina's car and got out.

"Happy Valentine's Day, Irina." They hugged each other.

"Happy Valentine's Day, Sergei."

They looked over their shoulders to see if anyone was watching them. When they couldn't see anyone, Sergei opened the trunk of his car and got out Jack's present. Irina opened the trunk to her car, put her bag in and unzipped it. Sergei gave her the present and she put it in her bag, zipped her bag and closed the trunk. Sergei grabbed a few things from his trunk he needed for his stay at Jack and Irina's house, closed the trunk and then they walked to the house.

As they got inside, Jack came down the stairs and put his bag down on the floor.

"Hi Sergei. Happy Valentine's Day."

"Happy Valentine's Day, Jack." Jack looked around and then looked at Irina.

"Where did you put your bag?"

"I put it in the car. I thought I might as well do that now." He nodded and smiled. The triplets came down the stairs and gave Sergei a hug.

"Happy Valentine's Day, uncle Sergei."

"Happy Valentine's Day, kids."

"Why don't we all go into the living room and have something to drink? It'll be a while before we have to leave and before the others get here." They all nodded. Irina went with the triplets into the living room, while Sergei helped Jack in the kitchen.

Nadia, Eric, Becky, David, and Kendall arrived at 5.30.

"Happy Valentine's Day, grandma." Becky gave her grandmother a hug.

"Happy Valentine's Day, sweetheart." Jack reached for his grandson and Nadia handed him to her father.

"And how's your Valentine's Day been so far?" David cooed at his grandfather and Jack smiled, giving him a kiss. "That good, huh?" Becky grinned, while Nadia and Eric moved into the living room to say hi to the triplets and Sergei.

"You're silly, grandpa." He smiled back at her and then gave her a kiss, while Irina gave David a kiss.

"Yes, I know." She grinned again and he gave her another kiss. Jack turned to Kendall. "You still look tired." He nodded.

"I am. I was on the phone with Katya until I left the office." He rolled his eyes. "That woman drives me insane." Jack and Irina laughed.

"Well, since you'll be watching a lot of cartoons tonight, you're in for a relaxing evening."

"I sure need it." They shared a laugh and walked into the living room.

A few minutes later Sydney, Vaughn, Isabelle, Sarah, and Nicholas arrived.

"Happy Valentine's Day, grandpa." Isabelle gave her grandfather a big hug. He gave her a kiss.

"Happy Valentine's Day, sweetheart." Sarah was giving her grandmother a hug.

"Happy Valentine's Day, grandma."

"And happy Valentine's Day to you, sweetheart." Isabelle looked at her sister.

"Switch." Isabelle went to her grandmother and gave her a hug, wishing her a happy Valentine's Day, and Sarah went to her grandfather, giving him a hug and wishing him a happy Valentine's Day. Sydney and Vaughn laughed a little. Nicholas cooed and Jack took his grandson from Vaughn.

"Enjoying you first Valentine's Day?" Nicholas cooed and both Jack and Irina gave him a kiss. Everyone else joined them in the hall. They greeted each other and then said their goodbyes. Jack, Irina, Sydney, Vaughn, Nadia, and Eric then got in their cars and drove off to celebrate Valentine's Day while everyone waved.

* * *

After driving for a short while Irina looked at Jack.

"I know we're not going to the cave, because we're going in the opposite direction. So where are we going?" Jack just smiled. She let out a laugh. "Oh come on, sweetheart. You always tell me before we arrive, so you might as well tell me now." He laughed.

"Okay." She smiled. "We're going to the inn. I was able to get the cottage. We'll have a nice romantic dinner waiting for us that will be served in the cottage. Then after I thought we could take a stroll, and come back to the cottage later for a little dancing." Her smile broadened. She leaned in kissing his cheek and then spoke with a low voice in his ear.

"And hopefully repeat our wedding night." He wiggled his eyes.

"Of course." She gave him another kiss on the cheek and rested her head on his shoulder.

* * *

When they arrived at the cottage it was filled with candle light. Jack had made sure that the menu consisted of some of Irina's favorite foods, and they enjoyed the delicious dinner and each others company to the fullest. Irina leaned in and kissed Jack.

"Dinner was amazing. Thank you."

"The company made it amazing." They shared a laugh and kissed again. "Do you want to go for a walk?"

"I'd love to go for a walk." They kissed again and Jack got up and pulled the chair out for Irina.

They walked around the area arm in arm talking and kissing. They walked to the platform where they renewed their vows. Jack wrapped his arms around Irina as they looked out on the ocean.

"This brings back fond memories." He kissed her neck.

"It most certainly does. I can't believe it's been nearly four and a half years since we got married here."

"Time flies when you're having fun." They laughed.

"And we've sure had fun." She turned in his arms and kissed him. They stood there kissing and dancing for a while before returning to the cottage.

* * *

At Jack and Irina's house, Sydney, Vaughn, Nadia, and Eric all arrived at the same time to pick up their children. Sergei opened the door.

"Hi guys. Did you have a nice evening?"

"Yeah it was great. Did the kids behave?"

"Yes absolutely. The triplets are tucked in their own beds, but the rest are sleeping on mattresses in the living room." They walked into the living room and laughed a little when they saw Kendall sleeping on the couch hugging a teddy bear.

"I guess the kids are not the only ones sleeping." Sergei laughed a little.

"No. they're not. After your kids went to sleep, he couldn't keep his eyes open any longer, and he fell asleep on the couch. The triplets thought he should have a teddy bear to sleep with."

"It's almost a shame to wake him. But I think it's best for him to come home and sleep in his own bed, so that he can go to work from his own place in the morning." Sydney was about to wake him, but Eric stopped him.

"Hang on I need to get a picture first." He took out his phone.

"Honey, don't do that. It's not nice." Vaughn got his phone out too.

"He looks adorable. What's wrong with getting a few adorable pictures of him?" Sydney and Nadia shook their heads.

"Yeah right that's the reason why you're taking pictures." They laughed taking a few pictures. After they were done Sydney woke up Kendall.

"Kendall, wake up. It's time to go home." He grunted and moved around a little on the couch. They all laughed a little and she shook him a little again. "Kendall, Nadia and Eric are here to take you home." He woke up and looked around a little confused. Then he noticed the teddy bear and saw that they were all laughing a little at him. He shook his head and got off the couch.

"Very funny."

"The triplets thought you should have the bear to sleep with. They had nothing to do with it." Sergei pointed to Sydney, Nadia, Vaughn, and Eric.

"Oh sorry." He looked at them apologetically.

"Come on. Let's get you home so that you can continue sleeping." He nodded and went to the hall to get his jacket. Vaughn picked up Isabelle, Sergei picked up Sarah, Sydney picked up Nicholas, Eric picked up Becky, Nadia picked up David, and they all went to the cars. Sergei said goodbye to all of them and went back inside and went to sleep.

* * *

Back at the cottage Jack and Irina had been dancing for a while and making out.

"So, you want your present now?"

"Yes, I'd love to." Irina sat down on the couch and Jack went to his bag to get the present. He returned and gave her the velvet bag.

"Happy Valentine's Day." They kissed before Irina opened the bag and took out the necklace. She gaped and then smiled broadly.

"Jack, it's absolutely beautiful. I love it. I absolutely love it. Thank you, sweetheart. Thank you." She kissed him soundly. He smiled back at her.

"I thought you'd like it, but I didn't know you'd like it that much. It's Russian by the way."

"Yes, I know." He looked at her a little surprised.

"You sure know your jewelry." She laughed a little.

"No, not really, but my mother had one similar to this one. The pattern is the same, but the colors are a little different. Her necklace was special to her, which is why I love this one so much. It brings back fond memories of her." She got a little teary eyed and Jack pulled her into a hug. She looked at him smiling and then kissed him. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." He kissed her again. "Do you want me to put in on you?"

"Yes please." He put it on her and then looked at her.

"Beautiful." They kissed again.

"Do you want your present now?" He smiled.

"Yes please." She got her bag and gave him a small present first. He looked at it a little curiously when she took it out and even more when he got it in his hands.

"It's soft. Let me guess. You got me socks." They both laughed and she shook her heads. "Okay, so it's not socks. A tie then?" She shook her head. He felt the package a little. "You got me a t-shirt." She nodded. He laughed, opened the present, and then looked a little disappointed when he noticed the upper part of the t-shirt. "You really did get me a t-shirt." She nodded.

"Yes. Look at the print on it." He looked at her a little puzzled, folded out the t-shirt and then laughed when he read the print on it. It said _My Wife's Property. Hands Off._ He looked at her laughing.

"Cute. I suppose you want me to wear this, when we go to parents' night at the end of the month?" She laughed too.

"Yes, and every other time you're around Blondie and the Bimbos." He laughed and shook his head a little before kissing her.

"Thank you. It's a very lovely t-shirt."

"I'm glad you like it, but it's not your only present." He immediately smiled and she got the last present out of the bag. "Happy Valentine's Day, sweetheart." He looked at the present a little puzzled seeing as it was rather heavy. Not bothering guessing again, he opened the present. This time it was his time to gap as he saw what she had gotten him.

"Where did you find these?"

"I found them in the little town we were visiting, when we were at the cabin between Christmas and New Year. Remember I went to the little bookstore they had?" He merely nodded staring at the books. "Well, I found them in that one. I thought about giving them to you the minute I bought them, but also thought they'd make a great present. Since it had already been Christmas, I thought I'd wait until the next time it was time to get you a present. I know I could've just given them to you without waiting for a special event, but I just thought you should have them on a special event." He looked at her, smiled and then kissed her.

"Thank you so much. This is a great present. I've been looking for these for years." She nodded.

"Yeah, I remember how much you wanted to get them during the beginning in our marriage." He smiled and nodded. "I've looked for them every chance I got. I thought that if I found them during the twenty years you thought I was dead, I would send them to you, and you might know that I'd always loved you, because these books were something you were passionate about, and I knew that." He looked at her a little surprised. "I even thought of writing a little message in them, so that you'd know for certain that they were from me. I even looked for them after my contacts told me what my betrayal had done to you. But in some way, I think it was a good thing I didn't find them sooner. You might've thought that someone was playing games with you, and you might not have believed they were from me. I mean how could you, when you thought I was dead. Now I got to see how happy they made you." He smiled and kissed her.

"I think you're right. Had you found them and sent them to me, I probably would've thought someone was playing games with me." She nodded and kissed him. He looked in one of the books and smiled at the message she'd left on the first page. It said _Jack, All my love forever and a day. Irina._ He smiled at her.

"I thought I'd be safe to leave a message in them now." They laughed a little. He put the books down and took her face in his hands.

"Thank you for yet another wonderful Valentine's Day. I love you." He pulled her face to his and kissed her.

"The same to you. I love you too." They kissed again and Jack wiggled his eyes.

"So, what do you say, to repeating our wedding night now?" They laughed and then Irina kissed him passionately and deeply. After a few moments they both needed air. "I'll take that as a yes."

She looked at him with love and desire in her eyes and started to unbutton his shirt. He watched her as she kept unbuttoning his shirt and tucking it out of his pants. She then ran her hands up his chest, all the way up to his face and brought his face to hers and kissed him again passionately and deeply. They smiled at each other when they needed air again.

"There's nothing I'd rather do right now." They kissed again before Jack picked her up and carried her to the bed.

**TBC**


	6. Chapter 6

**SofiaBlackBristow:** Thank you so much - you're much too kind. I'm so thrilled to hear that you love it so much. Thank you. Kiss to you too. :)

* * *

**Chapter 6**

A week after Valentine's Day, the day before the triplets' birthday, Katya arrived at Jack and Irina's house shortly before dinner. Irina opened the door and smiled at her sister.

"Hi, Katya. Good to see you again." Katya stepped inside and gave Irina a hug.

"Good to see you too." Irina let out a laugh.

"I see you decided to bring your luggage in yourself this time without anyone having to tell you to."

"Yes, I didn't think Jack had learned how to be polite yet." They laughed and Irina shook her head at her sister.

"Dinner is almost ready. You can leave your suitcases by the stairs and then take them up later, if you'd like." Katya nodded, did that and together she and Irina walked to the kitchen.

"Hello everyone." Jack and the triplets looked up when Irina and Katya entered the kitchen. They smiled back.

"Hi, Katya."

"Hi, aunt Katya." Katya went over to the triplets to give them a hug.

"Are you three excited about your birthday tomorrow?" All three nodded.

"Yes of course."

"We're also excited about our birthday party the day after tomorrow." On their birthday, their family, Marshall, Carrie, their children, Kendall, Dixon, and his children would come for dinner and celebrate their birthday with them. The day after their birthday, their friends from school and the ones from their soccer teams would be coming to celebrate their birthday.

"That's good to hear." Jack looked over at the triplets and Katya.

"Time to set the table." The triplets got out of their seats. Maddie looked back at Katya.

"Aunt Katya, you have to help too." Jack and Irina laughed a little and so did the triplets. Katya rolled her eyes a little.

"Fine, fine." She smiled at Maddie and looked at Caitie and Ethan and did the same.

"You should probably let your aunt carry the paper towel or something else that's not that heavy. You have to remember that she's old." Katya gaped at Jack while everyone else laughed. Jack shot Katya an amused look, while he received an annoyed one in return.

"I'm not old, and you should not be teaching your children such a thing. And if I'm old, what does that make you and Irina?"

"Two more to make fun of you." Everyone looked at Maddie, and while Katya gaped at her everyone else laughed. Katya looked between Jack and Irina.

"Just what are the two of you teaching your children?"

"Teasing each other runs in the family. You of all people should know that aunt Katya." Caitie grinned at her. Everyone else laughed too including Katya.

"Well, I suppose I can't argue with that." They all laughed and soon sat down to eat. Katya talked about her recent travels and her time in London, and the triplets talked about what had been going on with them. After dinner Irina looked at her sister.

"Why don't you take the triplets into the living room and relax. Jack and I will take care of the dishes."

"You certainly don't have to say that twice." Katya and the triplets left the table and went to the living room, while Jack and Irina cleared the table and started doing the dishes.

After they were done with the dishes, they put everything away. Jack gave everything to Irina and she put the plates and glasses in the cupboard. She didn't look back at him, but merely held out her hand and took a hold of the things he was giving her. She didn't really pay attention to the things she put away, and kept holding her hand out for more to take. But instead of another plate or glass, she felt Jack's hand in hers. She looked back as he pulled her to him. Within a few seconds they were slow dancing in the kitchen.

"I guess there were no more dishes to put away." He gave her a soft lingering kiss.

"That's right." They laughed a little, and kept on kissing and dancing.

A couple of minutes later Katya walked to the kitchen. She spotted Jack and Irina dancing and kissing, just before stepping into the kitchen. She watched them for a little while smiling. It made her happy to see her sister so happy and that she was finally with the man she loved without any secrets or lies between them. Deciding she'd been watching them long enough she stepped into the kitchen.

"The triplets wanted some juice." Jack and Irina turned around to look at Katya as she walked closer to the fridge. They exchanged smiles and Jack got the glasses from the cupboard.

"Are you coming with us to APO tomorrow? You don't have to, but there's some work you could help with, if you don't know what else to do." Katya shook her head.

"No, I'm not. Since I didn't hear of any specific work, I made plans to spend the day with Sergei until the triplets come home from school." Jack nodded.

"That's fine."

"Do the two of you have anything special planned?"

"No, we're just going to do a bit of shopping, relax, and have lunch."

"That sounds nice."

"So, are the two of you done dancing, or do you want to keep doing it for a while, before joining the rest of us in the living room?" Irina turned to Jack and smiled, before looking at her sister again.

"We're done dancing, and will join you in the living room. We'll get the glasses." Katya smiled back and left the kitchen with the juice. Irina looked back at Jack. "At least we're done dancing for now." He smiled back at her, and kissed her before they went to the living room.

* * *

Later in the evening Jack and Irina were dancing in their bedroom.

"I can't believe that the triplets will be eight tomorrow."

"I know what you mean. It seems like it was only yesterday that they were born." Irina immediately felt ashamed for saying that. She looked at Jack. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to say that. It's not fair of me to say that." He caressed her cheek and looked her in the eyes.

"You apologize every year for this, and every year I tell you to put it behind you. I might not have been there when they were born, but you weren't there either for most of the first three years of their lives. We can't change the past, remember?" She nodded.

"I know Jack, but…" He put a finger on her mouth to stop her from talking anymore.

"No buts, sweetheart. The last few years, since we got back together, have been the best years of my life. You, the kids, and the grandkids are responsible for that and you know that. Don't apologize anymore for talking about the triplets, when I wasn't there. I'm fine with it, and I like hearing about it." He hugged her tightly and kissed the side of her head.

"I know you're fine with it, but it's still one of the many things that I have a hard time getting passed." They looked at each other again.

"I know it is. But just think about tomorrow. Tomorrow we'll be celebrating another of the triplets' birthday together, and we'll be doing that for years to come." He smiled and she finally smiled again and then kissed him.

"You always know just what to say to cheer me up. I love you, Jack."

"I love you too, Irina." They kissed and kept dancing for a little while longer.

* * *

The next morning Jack woke up to Irina placing kisses on his cheek. When he smiled she knew that he was awake.

"Good morning." He turned his head so that he could look at her.

"Morning." She got closer to him, so that she could kiss him on the lips. She deepened the kiss and ran her hand up and down his chest.

"So I've been looking at you for the last fifteen minutes, and I'm fully awake. The question is, are you awake enough to continue our tradition for how we celebrate our children's birthdays and our own?" He smiled back at her.

"If you continue with what you're doing, then I'll be awake in a few minutes." They laughed a little and Irina kissed him again.

More than an hour later they came out of their bedroom, running a little late. They had showered together, and while Jack said that they had gotten distracted in the shower, Irina insisted that they merely got thoroughly clean. They met Katya and Sergei in the hall. Sergei had come to have breakfast with everyone since it was the triplets' birthday.

"Good morning, you two."

"Good morning, Katya. Good morning, Sergei." Katya looked at Jack and Irina a little amused.

"You two are getting up a little late. Care to explain why?" Irina looked back at Katya amused.

"Jack wouldn't let go of the soap in the shower." Jack got a little red in the face and Katya let out a small laugh.

"Yes, I'm sure that's why."

"Can we just wake the triplets? We're running late and we still have breakfast to make." Jack motioned with his hands for everyone to go to the triplets' bedrooms.

"Then Jack, you should have" Katya looked amused from Jack to Irina and then back to Jack again "let go of the soap in the shower." Jack face turned a little redder and Irina let out a small laugh. She gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"Come on. Let's wake up the kids."

After the triplets got their own bedrooms, Jack, Irina, Katya, and Sergei took turns to wake them up. Katya and Sergei were always at the house when it was the triplets' birthday. The two of them would wake up one of the kids, Jack would wake up another, and Irina would wake up the last one. This year Jack woke up Caitie, Irina woke up Maddie, and Katya and Sergei woke up Ethan.

While the triplets got ready for school, Jack, Irina, Katya, and Sergei made breakfast, consisting of pancakes, egg, bacon, and toast. Then Jack and Irina took their kids to school before going to APO and Katya and Sergei left the house to spend the day relaxing and shopping. Later when the triplets got out of school Jack and Irina picked them up. They went to the carrousel for a little while before returning home where Katya and Sergei were waiting for them with a cake.

* * *

Around dinner time the guests started to arrive. The doorbell rang and Jack walked with the triplets out to answer the door.

"Hi, uncle Kendall." The triplets all greeted him in unison as he walked inside.

"Happy birthday, kids." He gave them a hug and a kiss on their heads before looking at Jack. "Hi, Jack." Jack smiled back at him.

"Hi, Kendall. If you'll excuse me, I need to go to the kitchen to get the last of the dinner ready. Just go to the living room. Everyone else is there." Kendall nodded and Jack left.

"Come on, uncle Kendall." He smiled at the triplets.

"Why don't you go on into the living room and take the presents with you. I'll just hang up my coat and be with you in a minute."

"Okay." The triplets took off with the presents and Kendall watched them leave before taking off his coat. While he was doing that Katya crossed the hall without looking at him. He on the other hand noticed her and spoke to her sincerely.

"Hi, Katya." She kept on walking and he shook his head, but thought he'd give it another go. "How did the report go?" She stopped walking and turned to look at him confused.

"What report?" He looked at her curiously.

"The report you had to do last week." She shook her slightly in confusion.

"I honestly don't know what you're talking about." He rolled her eyes at her not believing what he was hearing.

"The report you had to do that I helped you with. The report that was more of a five person's job, than a job for one. The report that you called me about in the middle of the night, my time, and that we spent about eleven hours working on." She rolled her eyes at him.

"Oh that thing. I took care of it. No big deal." He looked at her a little stunned, but then looked at her a little annoyed.

"No big deal? We worked hours on that, and it's no big deal?"

"No, it's not. I've had other things to do since, so I don't pay much attention to the work I do, once I've finished with it." He eyed her for a little bit, and thought there was something wrong. She didn't show it much, but to him it was like there was something else going on. He spoke to her a little softer.

"Are you alright, Katya?" She looked at him confused and then a little annoyed.

"If you think I've gotten in trouble again, then you better think again. I told you last time that I don't get in trouble." He shook his head.

"No that's not what I meant. It's just that you didn't remember doing the report that we spent so many hours working on, and I just thought that maybe you weren't feeling well. You're not sick or anything, are you?" She looked at him surprised for a short moment, but then rolled her eyes at him.

"No, I'm perfectly fine. Like I said, I don't pay much attention to the work once I've finished with it."

"You're sure?" She shot him a stern look.

"You really are annoying, you know that?" With that she turned on her heels and left the hall. Kendall rolled her eyes and let out a frustrated grunt before going to the living room too.

* * *

A few minutes later everyone was gathered in the living room. The triplets had opened all of their presents, except for one. Eric went to get them the last one.

"Here. This is from Vaughn and me. It's for all three of you, and you can put it in your playroom." Sydney and Nadia looked a little curiously at Vaughn and Eric.

"You two got them a present together?" Vaughn and Eric nodded smiling.

Everyone watched as the triplets opened their last gift, and when they did Sydney and Nadia shook their heads at their husbands.

"You didn't?" Vaughn and Eric looked at them and started laughing.

"It's really nice." Caitie was very happy with the gift and Maddie and Ethan nodded agreeing with their sister.

"What did you get?" Irina looked in the direction of the triplets and was curious about the gift after seeing the behavior of her oldest daughters and their husbands. Everyone else was curious too.

"We got a picture of uncle Kendall."

The triplets turned the picture around, so the rest of them could see the picture they'd gotten. It was a picture of Kendall sleeping on the couch holding a teddy bear that was taken on Valentine's Day. Kendall rolled his eyes and shot Eric and Vaughn an annoyed look, while everyone else laughed. The triplets passed it on to Nadia, and everyone had a turn looking at it.

"You look adorable." Carrie grinned at Kendall, who rolled his eyes at her. She then handed the picture to Katya.

"You can't get a woman, so you have to settle for sleeping with a teddy bear?" Everyone laughed a little while Kendall shot her an annoyed look.

"The picture was taking on Valentine's Day, and the only reason why I'm sleeping in the first place is because I'd been talking on the phone with you all night and all day."

"That still doesn't explain the bear." He rolled his eyes at Katya.

"We gave him the bear, aunt Katya."

"We thought he should have someone to snuggle with." She turned to the triplets and smiled.

"Well that was nice of you." Jack got up.

"Why don't we all go to the dining room? Dinner should be ready." They all got up and headed for the dining room. Kendall finished his drink and Katya did the same. She looked at him amused.

"So tell me something." He looked at her.

"What?"

"Did you get lucky with the bear?" He gaped a little and then let out a frustrated grunt.

"Very amusing." He left the living room with Katya following close behind him laughing.

* * *

The rest of the evening went great. The triplets had a great time surrounded by their family and friends. After dinner they each had a cake with their own name on it and eight candles, so that they all had their own candles to blow out. That way there was also enough cake for everyone. Later everyone went home. Sydney and Nadia hugged their siblings goodbye.

"So, did you three have a great birthday?"

"Yes, absolutely."

"Have a great party tomorrow, and we'll see you on Sunday."

"We will."

"And we're looking forward to Sunday." Sydney and Nadia smiled at each other before looking back at the triplets.

"So do we." The last to give them a hug goodbye was Kendall.

"Goodbye, kids. Thank you for a wonderful birthday party."

"Thank you too, uncle Kendall." Katya looked at Kendall amused.

"Do you want to take the bear home with you to snuggle with?" Jack, Irina, and the triplets laughed a little. "I can go and get it for you if you want?" He looked at her annoyed. "Ah, I guess not." She left and he shook his head. Jack clasped his shoulder.

"See you tomorrow." Kendall nodded.

"Yeah, see you tomorrow. Goodnight." When Kendall left the triplets hugged their parents.

"Thank you for another great birthday, mommy and daddy."

"Thank you from me too."

"And thank you from me three." Jack and Irina laughed.

"You're very welcome. Now why don't you get ready for bed? It's been a long day, and you have guest coming tomorrow too." They nodded, giving their parents a kiss before they headed up the stairs. Jack and Irina watched them go up the stairs and then looked at each other when they could no longer see the triplets. They smiled and kissed for a while before heading up the stairs to tug in the kids.

* * *

The next day Katya opened the door when the doorbell rang and was surprised to see Kendall.

"What are you doing here?"

"Jack and Irina asked if I could help out with the birthday party, since there'll be a lot of children here."

"I didn't know the triplets wanted a clown to entertain them for their party." He gaped at her and she just left him standing there. He shook his head irritated but decided to make the best out of the day.

Jack, Irina, Katya, Sergei, and Kendall went on with the preparations for the party, and Katya annoyed Kendall plenty every chance she got. Soon the guests started to arrive and the triplets were there greeting everyone when the doorbell rang. When the doorbell rang yet again Irina went with the triplets to answer the door. The triplets smiled when they saw their friend Jeff.

"Hi, Jeff." Jeff went inside. He handed the presents he'd brought for the triplets to them, and then started to take of his jacket. Irina smiled at him.

"Here. I'll take your jacket, and you can all run along." He gave her the jacket, waved goodbye to his mother and went with the triplets. Michelle looked around the hall a little bit before looking at Irina.

"So, where's Jack?"

"Busy."

"Too busy to come and say hello?"

"Yes." Irina didn't want to be anywhere near Michelle and really wanted her to leave. She kept her tone light, not wanting to sound irritated.

"Surely he should come and greet the parents of the children, who come for his children's birthday?"

"Well that's what I'm here for. We take turns answering the door, and this time it was my turn. Jack's busy doing the last preparations, and I should do that too. So if you'll excuse me, I need to get back and help my husband." Irina closed the door in Michelle's face, and heard a slight annoyed hiss just before the door was completely closed. She couldn't help but laugh to herself, as she went back to the kitchen to help Jack.

* * *

The day was great and everyone had fun. With the exception of Kendall on a few occasions since Katya still irritated him. Later Katya and Kendall watched as all the kids were playing out in the back yard. She turned to look at him.

"So, when are you putting on your clown suit?" He let out a frustrated grunt.

"I'm not here to dress up as a clown." She looked him up and down.

"No, you do a pretty good job at that every day." He gaped and looked at her annoyed. "But a colorful wig and a big red nose would really do wonders for you." He shook his head frustrated and motioned to leave. "Get me a cup of tea." He looked back at her.

"I'm not your servant. Get it yourself."

"Where are your manners?"

"The same place as yours."

He walked away. She turned around and walked over to pick up a tennis ball that was not far from her. She waited for just the right moment, and then she threw the ball after Kendall. It landed at his feet, which made him stumble and he fell into the pool. Katya started to walk towards the pool as Kendall resurfaced. The kids all looked in the direction when they'd heard the big splash from Kendall falling in the pool. He got out of the pool as she walked passed it.

"You're wet." She kept walking. He shook the shock off of him and followed her quickly into the house.

"What the hell was that? Why did you throw that ball after me?" He was furious.

"Who says I did it?" She spoke calmly.

"Who else could it have been? I doubt any of the kids got that good of an aim." She just shrugged and smiled amused.

"You had your back turned so you really can't tell who threw the ball."

Jack, Irina, and Sergei joined them in the hall when they heard them arguing. Jack and Sergei gaped for a little while, but then started to laugh, while Irina still gaped.

"What's going on?"

"Your insane sister threw a tennis ball in my direction that landed at my feet, and caused me to fall in the pool." That only made Jack and Sergei laugh more, but then smiled a little apologetically at Kendall. Irina shook her head at Katya.

"Tell me you didn't do that." Katya looked at her sister amused.

"He had his back turned. He can't prove that I did it."

"Oh yeah, well if you didn't do it, then you can tell me who did." Kendall stared at Katya angrily.

"I didn't see a thing." Irina kept shaking her head at Katya.

"I'll get you a towel." Irina went to the bathroom in the hall.

"I'll get you some clean clothes to wear. You can wear one of my t-shirts, and borrow a pair of sweatpants until your own clothes dry." Jack went upstairs to get the clothes.

"And I'll just go outside and watch the kids, since all the adults are in here." Sergei left laughing a little bit. Irina returned with the towel and Kendall took it.

"Thanks." He started to dry his face and took off his t-shirt and started to dry his upper body. He shot Katya an angry look. "Aren't you supposed to get yourself a cup of tea?" She didn't say anything but just looked at him amused. A few seconds later Jack returned to the hall with some dry clothes for Kendall. He took them. "Thanks. I'll just go and change." He went to the bathroom, and Katya left for the kitchen leaving Jack and Irina to look at each other.

"What was that about?" Jack looked at Irina, but she just shrugged. Jack nodded. "Okay. I'll go to the back yard."

"I'll just wait for Kendall, and then take his clothes to the dryer." He nodded and left. She looked in Katya's direction and shook her head, but after a few seconds she smiled.

* * *

Later the birthday guests were slowly being picked up one by one. Jack was in the kitchen when the doorbell rang. He quickly turned on the security monitor, and sighed a little annoyed. Then he quickly put the monitor away again, and hurriedly went to open the door. He met Irina in the hall, who was on her way to open the door.

"I've got it." She looked at him a little confused. "It's Stan." She nodded.

"Ah, I see. Well in that case, it's best that you open the door and not me. I'll just go and tell Jeff that his dad is here." Jack smiled and waited until Irina was gone before he opened the door.

Stan turned when he heard the door being opened, but his smile faded a little when he saw that it was Jack who opened the door and not Irina.

"Jack." He gave him a slight nod.

"Stan." Jack did the same, and keeping his voice neutral.

"So, where's Irina?"

"Getting Jeff." Stan smiled, but his smiled faded a little when his son was accompanied to the door by the triplets and not by Irina.

"Hi, dad." Stan looked into the house seeing if he could spot Irina. When he couldn't, he looked down on his son.

"Yeah hi. Get your jacket and let's go." Jack handed Jeff his jacket and smiled at him. Jeff then said goodbye to the triplets and to Jack and then went to the car. "Tell Irina I said hi." Jack glared back at Stan.

"Sure." He wanted to close the door, but also knew that the triplets wanted to wave goodbye to Jeff. As soon as they had and couldn't see the car anymore, Jack closed the door. The triplets were about to leave when Jack called them back. "Hey come here." They turned back around and went to their father. He gave them a big hug and a kiss. "I love you, guys. I just wanted to tell you that. You can go out to your friends now." They smiled back at him.

"I love you too, daddy." Caitie gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"And I love you too, daddy." Maddie also gave him a kiss on the cheek, and Ethan did the same.

"I love you too, daddy." They all smiled at each other, and Jack walked with them out to the back yard.

* * *

Later when all the kids had gone home, Kendall had changed into his own clothes that had dried, and got up from his seat in the living room.

"I think I'll head home now."

"Don't you want to stay for dinner? We were just about to make it." Kendall shot Katya a look, and then smiled back at Irina.

"Thanks for the offer, but if I stay I'm sure your sister will find some way of spilling hot food on me, or do something else to me." Katya rolled her eyes at him.

"You are such a wimp." He looked at her annoyed.

"And you're a nutcase." She stared at him coldly. "I wouldn't even be safe around you, if you had your hands tied behind your back." He looked at Irina again. "I think I'll be better off if I left." Just then the triplets came inside. "I was just about to come look for you to say goodbye."

"Are you leaving?"

"Yes, I am."

"Can't you stay for dinner?"

"Please?" He looked at the triplets, and couldn't get himself to tell them no. He would have to put up with Katya for a while longer, but he could do it for them. He smiled at them.

"Okay, I'll stay." They gave him a hug, and Jack and Irina stood up.

"Great. Then let's get started on dinner." Everyone but Katya left for the kitchen. She stayed behind for a few seconds smiling to herself before she joined the rest of them in the kitchen.

* * *

Dinner went by just fine without Katya really insulting Kendall or annoying him. She didn't spill hot food on him either. When Jack and Irina left to tug the triplets in, Sergei went to the kitchen and Kendall went to the hall to get his coat to leave, while Katya followed him. When he had his coat on, he turned to Katya and tried his best to sound friendly.

"So. You're off to Washington soon." She crossed her arms and cocked an eyebrow at him.

"You're my contact person. Surely you know where I go. If you don't, you do a poorly job as my contact person." He stared at her annoyed.

"I was just trying to make pleasant conversation."

"Pleasant? I didn't know you knew that word." He shook his head.

"Fine. I'll just stay here and wait for Jack and Irina without talking to you."

She stared him down, and he felt a little uncomfortable and it felt like ages before Jack and Irina came down again. When they came down, Sergei came back from the kitchen. Kendall and Sergei said their goodbyes and Kendall left without saying anything to Katya. When Irina closed the door, she wanted to talk to Katya, but didn't get the chance.

"I'm going to bed. Goodnight." Irina looked at her as she walked towards the stairs.

"You don't want to talk?" Katya kept walking without looking back.

"No. I want to sleep. Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

"Okay. Goodnight, Katya." When she had gone Jack looked at Irina.

"Is everything alright?" She smiled at him.

"Yes, I'm fine." He shook his head slightly.

"Well, I actually meant with Katya. Well, you and Katya. And Kendall for that matter."

"Everything is just fine. Nothing to worry about. Katya's just being Katya." He let out a laugh.

"Yeah, a little too much at times."

"Come on. Let's go clean up and then go to bed." She took him by the hand and led him to the living room to get the coffee mugs.

* * *

A couple of days later Jack and Irina were set to go to parents' night with the triplets. Irina walked over to Jack, who had just come down the stairs. She lifted up his black turtleneck shirt and he looked at her confused.

"You're not wearing the t-shirt I got you on Valentine's Day." He let out a laugh, when he realized that, that's what she was looking for.

"No, I'm not. I don't think I need a t-shirt to prove that I'm your property." He kissed her wedding ring and stroked her cheek with the back of his hand where his ring was on. She tenderly stroked his cheek.

"Apparently for some women the fact that you're wearing a ring is not proof enough. And I really would've preferred you wearing the t-shirt." He looked at her a little puzzled. "Do you have any idea how great you look in black? Those bimbos will be all over you." He chuckled. "Actually, I don't think it would've matter what you wore, because you look sexy in anything, and I think those bimbos think that too." He leaned closer and whispered seductively in her ear.

"And how do I look when I'm wearing nothing at all?" She swallowed and closed her eyes.

"You look even sexier." He nibbled on her earlobe, and then kissed a sensitive spot on her neck. She moaned in pleasure.

"Then just remember that you'll see me in absolutely nothing tonight, and that you're the only one who'll see me in absolutely nothing." She ran a hand through his hair.

"I can't wait." He trailed kisses from her neck up to her lips and kissed her deeply and passionately. When they heard the triplets coming down the stairs, they broke apart smiling at each other.

"Time to go." He gave her a quick kiss and then they helped the triplets with their jackets and got the cakes they were bringing.

* * *

When they got there and had removed their jackets, Jack walked over to the table to put the cakes down where all the other cakes were. Irina went over to talk to one of the teachers and the triplets went to some of their friends. Sean turned around as Jack nearly reached the table.

"Hi, Jack. Let me give you a hand with that." He took one of the cakes from Jack.

"Thanks."

"I hear the triplets had a great birthday. Tracy told me she had a great time." Jack smiled back at Sean.

"I'm glad to hear it. Yeah, the kids did have a great birthday." They went on talking for a little while arranging the cakes on the table. Sean looked towards the door staring a little wide eyed and then turned his back to the door again.

"I'd heard that Tanya was getting surgery, but I didn't know it was that kind of surgery." Jack looked at Sean a little confused. "She got a boob job. No mistaken that." Jack stared a little wide eyed at Sean, and then turned in Tanya's direction for a split second to see that Sean had been right. He shook his head when he turned his head back around.

"I don't understand how women can get themselves to do that." Sean shook his head too.

"Me either." Sean saw that his daughter was waving him over to her. "Jack, if you'll excuse me, Tracy needs me." Jack smiled.

"Sure." When Sean left, Jack arranged the last of the cakes and turned around to leave, but was stopped by Tanya.

"Hi, Jack. Nice to see you again." Jack gave her half a smile and a slight nod.

"Yeah, you too."

"You look really nice in that shirt. My shirt is new. Do you like it?" Jack looked her in the eyes, not wanting to look at her anywhere else. He knew that she wanted him to look at her chest, and he only gave her a slight nod again.

"Yes, it's nice." She looked a little disappointed, but continued to smile and moved a little closer to him.

"You didn't really look properly, Jack. Why don't you take a closer look?" He felt really uncomfortable, and as she was getting closer to him, he walked backwards and was getting closer to being trapped in a corner. He was just about to say something when he was interrupted.

"Daddy?" He let out a quick sigh of relief when Maddie came over to him, and smiled warmly at her.

"Yes, sweetheart."

"One of the things we can make here tonight is a kite. Will you help me make a kite?" He bent and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

"I'd love to help you build a kite. Let's go take a look right now, so we know what we want our kite to look like." She smiled broadly and he looked briefly at Tanya. "Excuse me." He could tell that Tanya was annoyed that they'd been interrupted, and he laughed a little to himself, and was grateful that Maddie had come over when she did.

* * *

Later the teachers had introduced what activities the parents could make with their children. They could help them build a kite, help them paint, make jewelry, and other activities. Whenever they wanted, they could have coffee, tea, juice, and cake, and they could all interact with each other. Irina was helping Caitie and Ethan paint, while Jack helped Maddie with a kite. When Maddie went to get some paint for her kite, Irina walked over to Jack with a cup of coffee.

"Here. Thought you could use that." He smiled back at her.

"Thanks." He took a sip of it and she looked at him amused.

"So I noticed you looking at Tanya's breast earlier." He turned and looked at her staring a little wide eyed.

"What? No, I didn't look at her breasts."

"You did when she arrived and you and Sean were talking by the table where you put the cakes."

"He mentioned that she'd gotten that kind of surgery, so naturally I couldn't help but look. I was just confirming what he said, and I looked away right after."

"Did you like what you saw?" He gaped at her.

"No, absolutely not."

"So, you wouldn't want me to get implants?" He looked at her horrified.

"No, no, no. Definitely not. Don't you even dare." She crossed her arms and cocked an eyebrow at him. He shook his head. "Of course you're allowed to do what you want with your own body, but please don't do that. I like you just the way you are. I like the natural you. And I like your breasts just as they are." She was about to speak, but he continued talking. "Sure I liked them when they got bigger the natural way, but I like them just as they are now." She looked at him a little confused.

"What do you mean you liked my breasts when they got bigger the natural way?" He looked around making sure no one was listening. They hadn't spoken loud before, but this was one of the things that should not be heard by anyone. He leaned a little closer and whispered.

"You know, when you were expecting Sydney and after she was born." His face turned a little red, and she laughed a little.

"Oh that way." He nodded embarrassed.

"Yes that way." He looked at her and smiled. "I don't want you to get any surgery done that other people get done, because they think it'll make them look better. You already look absolutely beautiful, and you always have. I love your body and it has always taken by breath away." She blushed and smiled lovingly at him kissing his cheek.

"Yeah, I know you do." She leaned in a little closer and whispered. "I remember our first mission together, on the train in India. You took out our clothes and when you turned around and saw me standing in my bra, you looked absolutely stunned, and for a few seconds you couldn't take your eyes away." He smiled at the memory.

"Well can you blame me? It was the first time in twenty years that I'd seen you like that, and after all that time, you still looked just as beautiful as I remembered." She blushed a little more, then took his chin in her hand and gave him two quick kisses like she'd done in India. They both laughed a little.

"I couldn't help but look at you either on that train as we were changing clothes. You still looked just as great as you did twenty years earlier, and it didn't help that you changed into black." She ran a hand up and down his chest. "Black really is a good color on you." They smiled at each other and she gave him another quick kiss. "Oh and just so you know, I was teasing you. I saw that you looked away quickly and that you didn't look at Tanya's breasts when she walked over to you a little while later. I also know that you don't check women out. And I would never dream of getting any kind of surgery like that." She grinned while he gaped a little at her, but then laughed.

"I should've known." They laughed again and Maddie came back.

"I found the colors, daddy. Hi, mommy."

"Hi, sweetheart. Those colors are beautiful and it's a beautiful kite you and daddy are building."

"Thank you. Daddy's really good at building the kite."

"Yes, he is." She leaned in closer to Jack and spoke huskily into his ear. "You're really good with your hands in many ways." His face turned a little red and she kissed his cheek. "I should probably get back to helping Caitie and Ethan, and leave you two to finish the kite." She bent and kissed Maddie on the cheek and winked at Jack before she left. He smiled at her and watched her leave before returning to help Maddie with the kite.

* * *

A while later Jack went to get a piece of cake. He was just about to leave when he turned around and came face to face with Michelle.

"Hi Jack." He gave a polite nod.

"Michelle." Jack tried to walk away but Michelle got in his way.

"What's the hurry, Jack? Can't you stay and talk for a bit?" Jack sighed and gave a forced smile.

"Anything in particular you wanted to take to me about?" He started to eat his cake and Michelle licked her lips and ran her fingers up and down her neck.

"No, nothing special. You're just so nice to talk to, and it's been a while since I've seen you." Jack put a big piece of cake in his mouth, so that it took him a while to answer. She looked a little annoyed that it took him so long to swallow, and she smiled brightly when he did.

"I didn't realize that we actually had conversations." She faked laughed. It was a very girlish giggle that made Jack, want to roll his eyes.

"Oh Jack. You're so funny." She was just about to touch his arm, when Jack put his spoon into his cake and ate another big piece. She quickly pulled her hand away. When Jack was just about to swallow, he put his spoon in his cake again.

"This is really a good cake." He took another big mouth full and received another slight annoyed look from Michelle. He kept eating until there wasn't anymore left. Michelle took a step closer wanting to put a hand on Jack's shoulder. He was just about to take a step back when they were interrupted.

"Hi daddy. Will you come and take a look at my painting?" He smiled at Caitie thankful that she'd arrived when she did. Michelle shot Caitie an annoyed look.

"Your father and I are talking. So why don't you run a long." Jack took Caitie by the hand, and gave Michelle a stern look and his voice held no warmth for her.

"I could be talking to the president of this country, and I would still give my children my full attention if they needed me." Michelle was taken aback by his tone and the way he was looking at her. He turned to Caitie and smiled at her lovingly. "I'd love to see your painting, sweetheart. Let's go." They walked away from Michelle without saying anything else, and she was quite offended. He looked at Caitie's painting and at Ethan's too, and Maddie joined them too. They spend a lot of time looking at them and Caitie and Ethan eagerly explained about the paintings. After a while Jack took a quick look around the room and then looked back at his children. "Where's mommy?"

"She's cleaning the paintbrushes."

"Mrs. Harrison said it was time to leave soon, so mommy thought it'd be best to start cleaning the brushes." Jack nodded at Ethan.

"Okay. I'll just go look for mommy if that's alright with you?"

"Of course, daddy." All three smiled at him and he smiled back before going off to look for Irina.

* * *

While Jack had been admiring the paintings, Irina had cleaned a lot of paintbrushes. She heard footsteps and turned to see Stan approaching her. She looked back to the sink where she was cleaning the paintbrushes and sighed, not wanting to deal with him.

"Hello Irina." He smiled his creepy smile at her, and she forced a smile at him.

"Stan." He moved closer.

"You look very lovely this evening. Well you always look lovely."

"Kind of you to say." She didn't look up from her task of cleaning the paintbrushes.

"Can I help you with that?" She shook her head.

"No thanks. I'm almost done." He moved even closer and Irina wanted nothing more than to push him away.

"Oh come now. Let me help you. You shouldn't have to do that all by yourself." He reached his hand out and was about to touch her, but she took a step to the side.

"Really, I can handle this on my own." He took another step closer.

"But I'm here now, and I would really like to help." He tried to reach his hand out to touch her again when he was interrupted.

"If you want to help, then you can take out the trash." They both looked behind Stan and saw that Jack was walking down the hall. Stan looked at him annoyed, while Irina smiled. When Jack reached them he gave Stan a forced smile. "There are a lot of things that need to be cleaned up, and therefore a lot of trash to be taken out. So why don't you do that, and I'll help my wife, if she needs help?"

"Hi sweetheart." Jack walked over to Irina and gave her a kiss. Stan shot Jack an annoyed look and then forced a smile.

"Sure." He walked back to where he came from and Irina leaned closer to Jack.

"I hope he throws himself out while he's taking the trash out." They both laughed a bit.

"I hope he throws Michelle out at the same time." Irina looked at him amused.

"So now you actually feel the same way about her that I do?"

"She was a bit rude to Caitie." Irina shook her head angry. Jack put an arm around her shoulders. "Don't worry. I was rude to Michelle." Irina smiled at him and gave him a kiss.

"Sometimes I wish that Jeff wasn't friends with the triplets. That way we would have nothing to do with Stan and Michelle, other than when it involved the school. But he's such a sweet kid."

"Yeah, I know. I feel the same way. Nothing we can do about it though." She nodded. "So, do you need my help?" She shook her head smiling.

"No thanks. I'm almost done. But you can keep me company, unless there's something else you need to help out with back there."

"And risk Stan coming back here or me being trapped by Michelle, Tanya, or anyone else? No thanks. I'd much rather keep you company and I can always say that I helped you clean the paintbrushes."

"Deal." They both laughed and shared a kiss before Irina cleaned the last of the paintbrushes.

A couple of minutes later they walked hand in hand back to everyone else. Blondie and the Bimbos and Stan looked at them jealously. Jack and Irina helped to clean up and after the teachers thanked everyone for coming and for everyone's contribution to making the evening very important and special, Jack and Irina left the school hand in hand with the triplets walking in front of them.

**TBC**


	7. Chapter 7

**RishkaDerevko:** Thank you for thinking it's amazing - you're much too kind. :-) I love J/I too, and I'm honored that you think I capture them perfectly. *blush* I'm thrilled you like the relationships between the characters - I hope that continues. 33 chapters of the story are done so far, so I'll try to post one a day. Thank you for loving it and thank you for reading and reviewing - it means so much. :-)

**SofiaBlackBristow:** I'm still so thrilled to hear you say that about my story - thank you so much. :-) Well, I still think you're much too kind *lol* and especially since you'll go so far as to say, it's brilliant. *blush* Thank you and thank you for reading and reviewing - it means so much. :-)

* * *

**Chapter 7**

A few days later Jack and Irina were sitting in the living room after having tucked the triplets in bed. Irina looked up from her book and turned her head to look at Jack.

"So, what do you want for your birthday?" He looked up from his book too, and looked at her.

"You know what I want." He wiggled his eyes at her and she rolled her eyes at him.

"Yes, I'm perfectly aware of the entertainment you want, after we've gone to bed." She smiled at him. "And you know I'll be happy to put on a show for you like I always do." He smiled back and wiggled his eyes. She let out a laugh. "But I meant for a present. What do you want for a present for your birthday?" He moved closer to her on the couch.

"I don't want anything. I already have everything I could ever wish for." He started trailing kisses up and down her neck.

"Jack." She moaned in pleasure and got distracted for a moment. "You have to come up with something. The triplets and I have to buy you something." He continued with what he was doing and she started to run a hand through his hair.

"Just get me a tie or a shirt. I really don't care." She slapped him playfully on his arm with her free hand.

"You're impossible, you know that?" He laughed against her skin.

"Yeah, I know." He looked her in the eyes, and held up the book he was reading. "I got a really great present for Valentine's Day, so I really don't need anything." She smiled and kissed him.

"But that present was just from me. You need to come up with something."

"Well, then ties and shirts." She rolled her eyes at him.

"Jack, that's not really special."

"But what if that's what I really want? I don't have to get a big present or something special. As long as it's something I want that should be fine."

"You have enough ties and shirts. And you don't really want anymore at the moment. You're just saying that to get out of thinking of what you want. It's not going to work, so think of something else." He sighed.

"Sweetheart, I really don't know what I want. I haven't got a clue."

"Then now is a good time to think about it." He started kissing her neck again.

"But I thought we were just about to make out."

"No, we weren't. I'm going to read my book, and you're going to think about what you want for a present." He looked at her to see if she was serious, and gaped a little when she'd already started to read her book again.

"You're actually serious." She nodded not taking her eyes from her book. He let out a frustrated grunt. "Well then I'll just go back to reading my book too." She shrugged.

"Fine. But you have to think of a present sooner or later." She grinned a little and he rolled his eyes before going back to his own book.

More than an hour later Jack sighed and put his book down. He looked at Irina.

"I honestly don't know what I want for my birthday. All I can come up with is a jacket. I know that's clothes too, but I could really use a new jacket." She put her book down and turned to him smiling.

"A jacket is not a bad gift. That's a good choice. So, what kind of jacket?" He smiled back glad that his choice of present was accepted.

"I don't know. Just a jacket I can wear when it's not too cold outside. But no screaming colors. I don't want a jacket that's yellow or orange or something like that." She laughed.

"Okay. I'm sure we can find a nice jacket for you. And if you don't like it, you can always return it."

"So, you're okay with me wanting a jacket for a present?"

"Jack, it's your birthday. You're allowed to wish for anything you want." He cocked an eyebrow at her.

"Apparently I wasn't allowed to get ties and shirts." She threw a cushion at him and moved closer.

"Like I said, you have enough of that. And it's something you can easily get yourself that won't have that much meaning to you. You won't be able to remember which white shirt you got from me and the triplets, whenever you put a white shirt on. But whenever you put a jacket on, you'll be able to remember that you got that from me and the triplets." He laughed a little and put an arm around her.

"Well you've got a point."

"But if you're so keen on getting ties and shirts, we can throw a couple of that in your present as well." He kissed her and when he was about to pull away she held him in his place. When they eventually needed air she looked at him seductively. "You know if you'd come up with the jacket an hour ago, we could've been making out for that long." He grinned.

"So now you want to make out?" She kissed him again.

"I wanted to make out the minute you started kissing my neck. I haven't read a single thing since you picked up your book again." He gaped at her.

"Then why did you make me stop?"

"Because, you really had to think of a present. You always put it off to the last minute, so this year I just wanted to get an answer out of you early. But I didn't think it would take you that long, when you were pushed into giving an answer, and not be allowed to make out." He shook his head laughing.

"I'm going to make you regret teasing me." She cocked an eyebrow and looked at him amused.

"Oh yeah? What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to do this." He quickly tossed his book aside and started tickling her.

"Jack, stop it. Stop. Jack, stop." She was trying to tickle him back, but she didn't succeed, because she was laughing too hard and squirmed with his constant tickling. "I'm sorry I prevented you from making out. Please stop." She was laughing harder and harder and after a few seconds Jack stopped. But he only stopped to give her a kiss before he continued tickling her again. "I can't believe you. Jack, stop. We could be doing more pleasurable things now."

"It's quite pleasurable for me to tickle you." She laughed harder and tried to get away, but still wasn't successful. After a little while Jack stopped and pulled her to him. "Now let's make out."

* * *

A couple of weeks later it was Jack's birthday. He and Irina were setting the table for breakfast when the triplets came down carrying Jack's presents.

"It's time for your presents, daddy." Jack turned and smiled, and then walked over to give them a hand. They sat the presents down on the table and then sat down themselves.

"So, which present should I open first?" Caitie picked up a small one.

"This one, daddy." He smiled and took the present. He unwrapped a silver, pink, purple, green, blue, and black striped tie, and looked at it a little oddly.

"Do you like it, daddy?"

"Well it's very nice, but I don't know if it's really me."

"But it will look really good with a dark gray suit and a lighter gray colored shirt." He was still a little skeptical and looked at Irina, who was smiling.

"It really would, sweetheart." He smiled back.

"Well okay, if you say so. I trust you to have more fashion sense than I do." They all laughed a little bit. "Thank you for the tie. I love it."

"Now open this one, daddy." He took a larger present from Maddie and unwrapped a black, white, and gray striped shirt. He chuckled and looked at Irina.

"You said you wanted a tie and shirt." He nodded.

"Yes, I did and I really like this one. Thank you."

"And now this one, daddy." He took a third present and unwrapped two polo t-shirts. One dark gray and one black.

"Thank you. I needed some of these."

"Yes, I noticed." They smiled and Irina handed him the last present. "And now the last one."

"I bet I know what this is." He smiled as he unwrapped a black leather jacket. He looked a little skeptical as he took a closer look at the jacket. "A leather jacket? You really think this is me?" Irina nodded.

"Yes, we really do. It has the same shape as a jacket for a suit, so we think it's perfect for you. Try it on." He still looked a little skeptical, but stood up and tried it on. He then started to nod.

"It's actually quite comfortable." He looked up at everyone. "So, how do I look?"

"You look really nice, daddy."

"It suits you."

"You look very handsome, daddy." Maddie looked at her mother. "Doesn't daddy look handsome, mommy?" Irina was looking at Jack, and had appreciated the way the jacket looked on him very much. She nodded and locked eyes with Jack.

"Yes, sweetheart. Daddy looks very handsome in that jacket. Very handsome indeed." He could see the desire in her eyes and looked at her the same way. They looked at each other that way for a few seconds before they smiled softly at each other.

"I should probably take the jacket off, so I don't spill on it." He took it off and went around giving the triplets a kiss. "Thank you very much. I love my presents." He walked over to Irina and gave her a kiss too. "Thank you, sweetheart." He gave her another kiss.

"You're welcome." They kissed one last time before sitting down to eat.

After breakfast Jack and Irina cleared the table while the triplets got ready for school. Jack wrapped his arms around Irina and kissed her cheek.

"Thank you for a great birthday so far. I'm looking forward to the rest of it." She turned in his embrace and kissed him.

"You know what I'd really love to do?" She smiled seductively and he returned the smile.

"No, tell me."

"When we get to work, I'd really love to go into your office, lock the door, soundproof the office, put the blinds down so no one can see in, then put on a show for you, and end up having my way with you on your desk." He stared a little wide eyed and swallowed a few times. She was about to kiss him, but then pulled away to his irritation. "But, at work I'm just an agent and you're the director, so I can't have my way with you there." She was about to walk away, but he pulled her to him, and crashed his lips on hers in a passionate kiss. A few moments later they both needed air.

"We're not at work yet, so there's no reason not to kiss me." He kissed her again.

"Oh, I know. But seeing you in that leather jacket was such a turn on that I thought it'd be best not to kiss you, because I wouldn't be able to stop and keep it to just kissing, and we do have to be at work shortly, Director Bristow."

"Well, Agent Bristow, what about what you just told me about having your way with me on my desk in my office? I'd call that a turn on too."

"I'd call it a promise of what's to come later tonight." She wiggled her eyes at him and he kissed her again. They were still kissing when the triplets came downstairs. They only looked at their parents for a split second before leaving the kitchen again, going to wait for them until they were done. A few minutes later Irina looked at her watch. "We really should get going, Director Bristow." Jack gave her a quick kiss and took her by the hand.

"Certainly, Agent Bristow."

* * *

When Jack and Irina arrived at APO everyone had gathered round, and the minute they got into view, everyone started singing.

"Happy birthday to you,

happy birthday to you,

happy birthday dear Jack,

happy birthday to you."

He rolled his eyes for a second before smiling.

"Thank you all for the song." He looked around the room smiling and nodding before everyone returned to work. Sydney and Nadia walked up to him. Nadia gave him a hug first.

"Happy birthday, dad." She gave him a kiss on the cheek, and then Sydney gave him a hug and a kiss on the cheek.

"Happy birthday, dad. Have you had a great day so far?" He smiled at them.

"Thank you, and yes, my day has been great so far." Dixon walked up to Jack and smiled at him.

"Not to interrupt your celebration, but we have to make a call to Washington in two minutes." Jack nodded.

"Yes, I'll be right there." Dixon left and Jack looked back at Sydney and Nadia. "Well, I should get to work."

"So should we. Talk to you later." They both gave him another kiss on the cheek before leaving. Jack walked over to the coffee maker and Irina followed him. He poured them both a cup of coffee and handed Irina her cup.

"You should get to work too, Agent Bristow." He spoke in a neutral tone, and she gave him a polite nod, speaking with the same tone in her voice.

"Yes, of course, Director Bristow." He gave her a nod and left. Irina went in the other direction to her desk and sat down.

What neither of them had noticed was that Nadia had walked the other way around and had stood out of sight from them by the coffee maker. She looked in the direction of her father and then in the direction of her mother, wondering what was up with her parents. She shook her head, deciding to leave it be and went back to work.

Three hours later Jack walked over to Irina with a folder in his hand. She looked up when he came over, both their expressions were neutral. He spoke quietly and his tone was business like.

"Agent Bristow."

"Yes, sir."

"I have some urgent work for you to take care of." He gave her the folder. "Put what you're working on aside, and get started on this right away. I need it done and on my desk before you leave the office today. Is that understood?"

"Yes, Director." Jack left without another word and Irina started on the work she'd just been given.

Once again Nadia had been standing close to her parents and heard everything. She was a bit taken aback from how her parents were behaving, and was just about to go over and talk to her mother when Kendall walked over.

"Nadia, I need your help." She turned around and looked at Kendall.

"Okay." She smiled back and walked with him to his office.

At lunch time Sydney walked over to her mother's desk.

"Hi mom. Nadia and I are just about to go and have lunch with dad in his office, so I thought I'd come and take you with me." Irina smiled back at Sydney.

"I can't, sweetheart, I'm swamped with work."

"Surely it can wait for a while. It's dad's birthday."

"I wish it could, but your father wants me to finish this and hand it in before I leave. I still have a lot of work to do, so I can't really take a break. I have to settle for eating while I work." Sydney looked at her mother a little oddly.

"Are you sure?" Irina gave her a smile.

"Yes, I'm sure. You and your sister go and have a nice lunch with your father." Sydney nodded.

"Okay." Sydney left and walked away. She looked over her shoulder for a second to see if there was anything wrong with her mother. Irina was back to work, so Sydney didn't think anymore of it and left to have lunch with her father and Nadia.

After having had lunch with their father, Sydney and Nadia went over to the coffee maker to get a cup of coffee. Nadia poured them both a cup, and then looked at Sydney when she was giving her the coffee. She was about to say something but decided not to. However, Sydney saw this.

"Were you just about to ask me something?" Nadia smiled and shrugged.

"Yeah, but it's nothing."

"Tell me anyway."

"Well, I was just wondering if mom and dad are fighting. Do you know if they are?"

"No, I don't. What makes you think they're fighting?"

"It's just that dad is calling mom 'agent', and mom is calling dad 'director' and even called him 'sir'. Their tone is also quite neutral, so I just thought that they might be fighting." Sydney was a bit puzzled by this but shrugged.

"I haven't heard them calling each other that. But mom did say she had work to do, when I came to take her to dad's office for lunch. I thought that was a little strange. But if the work has to be done, then I really don't see the big deal with her not joining us for lunch. I'm sure it's nothing." Sydney smiled at her sister, and Nadia smiled back.

"Yeah, I'm sure you're right. I'm probably just imagining things." She noticed Kendall waving her over. "I have to get back to work. Talk to you later, Syd."

"Yeah, talk to you later." They went in opposites directions and went back to work.

Two hours later both Sydney and Nadia were standing near their mother's desk in opposite directions. They saw their father walking up to her desk, and noticed he was very business like. Nadia caught Sydney's attention and nodded at her, indicating that they should listen in on what their parents were talking about. Sydney nodded back and moved a little closer.

"Agent Bristow." Irina looked up when Jack stood in front of her desk, and kept her tone and facial expression as neutral as she'd done earlier.

"Yes Director."

"How far are you from completing the work I gave you?"

"I still have about an hour or so. Probably a little longer." He shot her a look that was a little stern and his voice held a little anger, but he spoke quietly.

"You do realize that I don't have all day to wait for this report, right?"

"Yes, of course, sir."

"Good. Then pick up the pace. I don't want to be here later than I have to today. I have to step out of the office for a while. I'll be gone for about an hour, so I'd appreciate it, if the report was on my desk by the time I get back." Irina nodded.

"I'll do my very best, and work as fast as I can." He gave a slight nod, went to talk to Dixon for a few seconds and then left APO. Sydney and Nadia went over to the coffee maker, and stared a little wide eyed at each other.

"Did you hear them? They did it again."

"Yeah, I heard them, and I see what you mean. I just can't believe that they're fighting. They don't fight that often, but today on dad's birthday? That doesn't make sense." They were shaking their heads in disbelief when Vaughn, Eric, Marshall, Carrie, and Kendall walked over.

"Hey, what's up with you two?" Vaughn smiled at them when he noticed they seemed a little worried.

"We think mom and dad are fighting." Everyone looked at them a little oddly.

"Why would your parents be fighting today on your dad's birthday?" Sydney and Nadia both shrugged.

"We don't know. Have any of you heard them fighting?" They all shook their heads.

"Your parents don't really fight. Well, of course I don't really know, because I don't live with them. But I do spend a lot of time with them here at the office, and out of the office, you know when we go to the kids' soccer games, or just pick them up from practice, or when…"

"Yes, Marshall, we know." Carrie interrupted Marshall's rambling. "Have the two of you talked to your parents?" Sydney and Nadia both shook their heads. "Well, why don't you ask your mom, what's wrong. Look she's coming over now." They all turned to see Irina coming over to get a cup of coffee. She smiled at them.

"Is there a line for the coffee, or are you just all hanging out?" They all laughed a little.

"No, no line." Nadia motioned for her mother to go ahead and get a cup of coffee. She looked at Sydney, who nodded and she nodded back. "Um, mom?" Irina turned around once she'd gotten her coffee and smiled.

"Yes sweetheart."

"Are you and dad fighting?" Irina looked at Nadia a little curiously and also at Sydney, when she saw that she had the same worried facial expression as Nadia.

"No, we're not fighting." Sydney looked at her mother a little concerned.

"Are you sure, mom? You're calling him director and sir, and he's calling you agent." Irina smiled.

"Yes, of course I'm sure." Sydney and Nadia looked at each other not really sure what to think. Sydney shook her head.

"Then if you and dad aren't fighting, why on earth are you calling each other that? What's that about?" Irina's smile broadened.

"Foreplay." Sydney gaped, Nadia shut her eyes, and everyone else laughed.

"Honestly, mom."

"I did not need to hear that." Irina just shrugged at her daughters. Eric shot Irina a curious and amused look after he stopped laughing.

"So Irina, you and Jack act out these roles at home, where you're the agent and he's the director?" Sydney and Nadia immediately turned to Eric staring wide eyed at him. Irina smiled at Eric.

"Yes, we do. Although sometimes I get to be on top." In a split second Sydney's and Nadia's heads turned to stare wide eyed at their mother.

"Eeewww, mom."

"Stop that." Irina rolled her eyes at them and shook her head.

"That's not what I meant. I meant that sometimes I get to be the director and your father is the agent." They both covered their eyes and shook their heads. "But speaking of the way that you thought, I'm on top of your father, just as much as he's on top of me. Well, it's not like we keep track on whose turn it is to be on top. But I'd say that I'm probably on top of him as much as he's on top of me." Sydney's and Nadia's eyes were almost about to fall out.

"Mom, will you stop it?"

"We don't want to hear these things."

"Girls, you asked me why your father and I were calling each other by titles, and all I did was answer. That let to Eric's question, and you know that I'd answer it. If you didn't want to hear the answer, you should've left. And you're the ones who jumped to the wrong conclusion, so naturally you should've known that I'd explain everything to you. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a report to finish. Your father really needs the report to be done before I leave. I don't want to get a real reprimand from him." She winked at them and went back to her desk. Everyone but Sydney and Nadia laughed. Kendall walked a little closer to them.

"Well girls, you got your answer. And now that the mystery is solved let's all get back to work." He laughed a little as he left for his office. Everyone else left too, and Eric left in a hurry before Nadia or Sydney could throw anything at him. They looked at each other and grimaced before returning to work.

* * *

An hour later Jack returned to APO. He walked over to Sydney and Nadia, who were going through some work at Nadia's desk.

"Hi sweethearts. I thought you'd have left by now." They looked at each other and were still a little uncomfortable from the conversation they had with their mother an hour ago.

"Um, hi dad. Uh, we're on our way out the door."

"Yeah, we're just finishing up here." He looked at them a little curiously.

"Are you alright?" They looked at him and tried to smile the best they could.

"Yes, we're absolutely fine."

"Couldn't be better." He eyed them, still not convinced that they were alright, but decided not to push the matter any further.

"Okay. I'll see you soon at the house."

"Yeah, looking forward to it."'

"Absolutely." He nodded and smiled at them, but left feeling like they seemed a little off.

A few minutes later Irina walked into Jack's office with the report.

"I finished the report, Director." He gave her a nod.

"Thank you." He took it from her, acting like he'd acted earlier, but when she was just about to leave he changed the tone in his voice, to how he usually talked to her. "Sweetheart, wait a minute." She turned and looked at him amused.

"Isn't that a breech of the rules, Director?" He let out a laugh and nodded.

"Yes, it is, but I have something I need to ask you. Something I need to ask you as your husband and not as your boss." She smiled and nodded. "Do you know if there's anything wrong with Sydney and Nadia? They're acting a little strange to me."

"They overheard us calling each other by titles, and asked if we were fighting." He gaped a little.

"You didn't tell them why we called each other by the titles, did you?"

"Yes, I did." He gaped more. "When I told them that we weren't fighting, they wanted to know why we then called each other by the titles."

"And you couldn't have told them something other than the truth?"

"What was I supposed to have told them?" He just shrugged. "I don't like lying to my daughters. I've done that enough in my life." He nodded.

"Yeah, I know you don't want to do that. But I still think that a lie would've been better in this case."

"Maybe, but I couldn't think of anything other than the truth." He nodded. "But Eric also asked me a question, which I answered, and that let the girls to thinking something completely different than what the answer was. But I then clarified what they original thought. I guess all of it has something to do with their behavior too." He stared wide eyed at her.

"Do I even want to know what that whole conversation was about?" Irina smiled.

"No, I don't think so." He groaned.

"It's my birthday. Had it been on any other day, they'd probably have forgotten about it by tomorrow. But we're spending the evening with them, so it's really going to be uncomfortable." He shook his head. "Not that it's not bad enough that the girls and especially Eric were around when this conversation took place, but they were the only ones there, right?"

"No. Michael, Marshall, Carrie, and Kendall were there too." He groaned again.

"Just wonderful." She smiled at him lovingly.

"I'm sure it won't be that bad. I'll tell Michael and Eric not to mention anything about it tonight. In the meantime, you just think about what I'll do to you after everyone has gone home. I think that should help you take your mind off of things." He let out a sigh and smiled back at her.

"Yeah, I think I better think about that. But before I do that, I should probably take a look at the report you did. You're going home now, right?"

"Yes."

"Okay. I just have this to go through, and then some other things to take care of, so I should be able to leave the office in about an hour." She nodded.

"Then I'll let you get back to work, Director Bristow." She winked at him and he let out a small laugh.

"See you at home, Agent Bristow." They smiled at each other one last time before Irina left his office.

* * *

A few hours later everyone showed up at Jack and Irina's house for dinner. All except for Chase. She was invited every time, because Irina wanted it that way, but she never came to their house. She had a hard time accepting that Dixon and his children went to every event at their house, but she also knew that Dixon wouldn't allow her to stand in the way of spending time with his friends.

Jack opened the door and greeted Sydney, Vaughn, their kids, Nadia, Eric, their kids, and Kendall, who had all arrived at the same time. Jack, Sydney, and Nadia acted like nothing had happened earlier at work. They helped the children with their jackets, and then walked into the living room while Jack, Vaughn, Eric, and Kendall put the jackets and coats away. Vaughn and Eric started to laugh a little and Jack turned and glared at them. Vaughn put his hands up in defense.

"Sorry, Jack. We'll behave. We promised Irina that we won't comment on anything tonight." Eric nodded.

"Yes, we promise to be good. But just so you know, Vaughn and I can never call you director again. We would hate for you to think that we're coming on to you." They started to laugh and left the hall with Jack glaring at them as they left. Kendall let out a small laugh too. When Jack turned to look at him he too, put his hands up in defense.

"Jack, you know I won't comment on anything. But I also can't help but laugh when Eric makes a comment like that." Jack sighed and nodded.

"Yeah, I know." He sighed once more and they joined everyone in the living room.

Everyone else was there and Kendall said a quick hi to everyone. The only empty seat was next to Katya and he hesitated for a moment before sitting down next to her. She cocked an eyebrow at him.

"You hesitated before sitting next to me." He rolled his eyes before looking at her.

"Can you blame me? The last time you were responsible for me ending up in the pool."

"So you claim." He let out a frustrated grunt.

"So I know. You might as well stop denying it, because we all know it was you."

"You really whine a lot, do you know that?" He rolled his eyes.

"Yes, so you've told me several times."

"Then you'd assume that you'd paid attention to what I've been telling you. But apparently you need a hearing aid."

"I can hear perfectly fine."

"So you claim." He let out another frustrated grunt.

"So I know. I think I know my own health and my own body more than you do."

"Yes, who else would want to know your body?" Everyone laughed a little while Kendall groaned. Jack got up from his seat.

"Okay, why don't you all go into the dining room? Dinner is about done." Kendall got up quickly and Maddie walked over to him.

"Uncle Kendall, will you sit next to me?" He smiled at her.

"I'd love to, sweetie." He took her by the hand and they went to the dining room. Irina was about to walk over to Katya, after seeing the expression on her face, but Sarah walked over to her.

"Grandma, I want to come with you." Irina picked up her granddaughter and gave her a kiss on the cheek

"I'd love for you to come with me. Let's go, sweetheart." She walked after Jack to the kitchen, concentrating on her granddaughter rather than what she wanted to talk to Katya about.

A few minutes later everyone sat down to dinner. Isabelle looked at her mother.

"Mommy?" Sydney looked at her and smiled.

"Yes, sweetheart."

"We haven't sung Happy Birthday for grandpa yet."

"No, you're right, we haven't done that yet. Should we do it now?"

"Yeah." All the other children cheered too.

"Okay, but we need an order. So how about we sing daddy, grandpa, uncle, and Jack?" Sydney looked around at everyone. "Is everyone onboard with that?" They all nodded. "Okay, on three. One-two-three."

"Happy birthday to you,

happy birthday to you,

happy birthday dear daddy, grandpa, uncle, and Jack,

happy birthday to you."

Everyone cheered and Jack smiled around at them all.

"Thank you all very much for the song. I appreciate it. Now dig in."

Later Jack and Irina carried the dishes to the kitchen. She put her arms around him and gave him a kiss.

"So, are you enjoying your birthday?" He smiled back at her.

"Yes, very much."

"I never get tired of singing Happy Birthday with all the names we put in there." He chuckled.

"Just wait. In less than a week it's your turn."

"Yeah, I can't wait." He gave her a kiss, and a few seconds later Ethan, Mitchell, Matthew, and Stephen came into the kitchen.

"Can we help with anything, uncle Jack?" Jack and Irina smiled at the boys.

"Yes Matthew, you and the rest of you can take the coffee mugs, the juice, the cookies, and the cake into the living room."

"Okay." They took everything with them and Jack and Irina came into the living room a few seconds later with the coffee and tea.

* * *

A while later everyone went home. Kendall was the last one to leave, and stood in the hall putting on his jacket, while Jack and Irina were clearing the table in the living room. Katya walked across the hall and was about to walk upstairs. He sighed and thought he'd be the bigger person and speak kindly to her.

"I know that I'm your contact person and therefore know of your whereabouts. So, as far as I know you're not scheduled to be at APO, and you're not scheduled to be anywhere else. But have you thought about coming to APO to do some work? Since Irina's birthday is in less than a week, I assume you'll be in LA." She turned around, cocked an eyebrow and crossed her arms.

"Don't assume anything." He rolled his eyes and shook his head, not really surprised by the tone in her voice. "I have no desire to be at APO, since I don't have to. I've already looked at your face enough today, and I'll be looking at it at Irina's birthday party, so I see no reason to look at it in between the two birthdays." He shook his head.

"Fine, suit yourself. But just so you know, I won't be here for Irina's birthday."

"Oh, and why is that?"

"I have a date." Her eyes widen a little in surprise.

"You have a date?" He nodded. "Who with?"

"That's none of your concern." She cocked an eyebrow at him again.

"Well, I just wonder what woman could possibly want to go out with you. She must be blind." He let out a frustrated grunt, and gave her an annoyed glare.

"No, she's not. She's got perfect sight and is a very lovely woman, unlike another woman I know." She gave him a stern look and Jack and Irina returned from the kitchen. Katya looked at Jack and smiled.

"Goodnight, Jack. I hope you had a pleasant birthday." She then looked at Irina and smiled. "Goodnight, Irina." Then she walked up the stairs without saying anything to Kendall. Jack and Irina both looked after her.

"Yeah, I did. Thank you, Katya. Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Katya." Jack and Irina looked at Kendall a little curiously. He just shrugged.

"She's behaving like she's always behaving." They both nodded at him. "Well, I should go. See you at work tomorrow, and thanks for a nice evening."

"Yeah, you too. Thanks for coming." Jack closed the door, and Irina looked in Katya's direction. She then turned and looked at Jack, putting her arms around him and kissed him deeply and passionately.

"So, birthday boy? What do you say, to cleaning up the last few things in a hurry, so that you can get your last present?" He smiled broadly and kissed her again.

"I love the sound of that."

* * *

Almost a week later it was Irina's birthday. Jack and the triplets had given her a new watch and a pair of earrings. Kendall took her out to lunch since he couldn't make it to her birthday dinner in the evening. Later everyone who'd attended Jack's birthday was at the house for Irina's birthday dinner. Everyone had sung Happy Birthday to her, and included all her names, mommy, grandma, aunt, and Irina. When everyone had gone home, and Jack was getting ready for bed, Katya was in the kitchen getting herself a cup of tea, as Irina walked into the kitchen. She smiled at her sister when she walked in.

"So, did you have a nice birthday?" Irina walked over and gave Katya a hug and a kiss on the cheek.

"Yes, I did. Thank you." Katya smiled and took a sip of her tea. "You've been very quiet tonight."

"I'm a little tired. Since I just came back from Florida this evening, I still have to get used to the time difference. And I've been out all the time when I was away, so I haven't gotten much sleep." Irina nodded.

"Okay. Katya, is there anything you'd like to talk about?" Katya looked at her sister curiously.

"Like what?" Irina smiled at her softly and spoke the same way.

"You tell me." Katya looked at her for a few seconds, before shaking her head and giving her a big smile.

"Nothing to talk about. I'm absolutely fine." Irina eyed her sister for a little bit, and then decided to just nod.

"Okay, if you say so. You know you can always talk to me." Katya smiled.

"Yes, I know. But I have nothing to talk about, because I'm perfectly fine." Irina nodded at her and smiled. "Goodnight Irina."

"Goodnight Katya." Katya left and Irina turned out the lights a few seconds later and headed for her bedroom. When she walked in Jack smiled at her.

"I was just about to go into the bathroom to change into the uniform. Sorry I'm not ready yet, but I looked in on the kids." She smiled lovingly at him and then closed the distance between them, wrapping her arms around him and kissing him.

"I don't need a show tonight." He looked at her a little puzzled.

"You don't?" She shook her head. "Don't you want one?" She let out a laugh.

"Yes, I'd love one, but I don't need one tonight. I have you and that's all I could ever want. I love you, sweetheart." She kissed him again. After they broke the kiss, he looked at her a little puzzled again, but then shook his head, and smiled.

"Okay, if you say so. I'll give you a show another night." He kissed her again. "I love you too."

Although Jack didn't put on a show for Irina, they ended up having a pleasurable night.

* * *

In another part of the world, the two men, who had decided to destroy Jack and Irina, met up again.

"I have some very interesting pictures to show you. I think it means that we have to make new plans, and postpone our attack." He handed the pictures to the other man. The man who received them stared wide eyed at them and got angry.

"I don't believe this."

"Yes, I know. It's hard to believe."

"I agree. We have to come up with a new plan, because this is very valuable."

"I'm glad to hear it. It'll probably take a while to come up with a new plan, but I think it'll be worth it." He smiled and the other man smiled back.

"Oh yes, I think so too." He took an envelope from his inner pocket and handed to the other man. "I have some interesting pictures too." The other man took them and got a little angry.

"Well, well, well." He then smiled and turned to the other man. "I assume we're keeping track?"

"Of course." He nodded and smiled.

"Then I suggest we use this in our plans."

"That was also my thought."

"Good, good. Now why don't we go and have dinner? We can talk about a new plan on how to destroy Jack and Irina."

"That sounds like a very good idea."

**TBC**


	8. Chapter 8

**SofiaBlackBristow:** *lol* I'm glad you thought it was funny. Yeah, she might've been a little bit evil to make Jack wait, but it made him think of what he wanted for his birthday, and he got back at Irina. Kiss to you too. I'll post a chapter each day when I can - at least until this site is caught up as far as the rest of the boards I'm posting this fic on. I'm not that quick with writing the chapters, and I only just posted a new chapter on the other sites after not having posted a new chapter in over a year.

* * *

**Chapter 8**

A week later Irina walked onto Dixon office with a report she'd just finished.

"Hi Marcus. I finished the report you asked for." He was sitting holding a broken necklace and didn't quite hear her. "Marcus?" He looked up a little confused, and she smiled at him. "I finished the report you asked for." He gave her a small smile.

"Okay. You can just put it on the table." She smiled back and nodded and started to walk away, but then turned around and walked back to his desk.

"Marcus, is there something wrong?" He looked at her again and nodded.

"Yeah, it's this necklace. I gave it to Robin last year. It belonged to Diane. She loves it so much, because it was her mother's favorite." He smiled shortly, but then his smile faded. "But it broke, and now Robin is heartbroken. I've been to a lot of jewelry stores, but no one can fix it." Irina gave him a compassionately smile.

"Can I see the necklace?"

"Yes." She studied for a while and then gave Dixon a smile.

"I know a guy in San Francisco, and he's amazing at fixing things that no one else can. I'm pretty sure he can fix this. Of course, I can't say for absolutely certainty, but I'm pretty sure. Sergei is going to San Francisco in two days to work. If you'll allow it, I can have him take the necklace with him, and have him drop it off at the guy I know. I'll call ahead, and ask if he'll make it his number one priority. And if he's able to fix it, Sergei can bring it back with him." Dixon gave a small smile.

"I appreciate you trying to help, but I don't know."

"You don't really want to let the necklace go." He nodded.

"No, not really. Diane got this from her grandmother, and it's always been important to her. I just don't want anything to happen to it. I mean, I know it's already broken, but still." Irina nodded.

"I can understand how you feel, but Sergei will take really good care of it. So will the guy I know. And it wouldn't hurt to see if the necklace can be fixed."

"Yeah, I know Sergei will be careful with it, and I'm sure the guy you know will too. And you're probably right that it wouldn't hurt to take it to San Francisco."

"Why don't you talk it over with Robin, and if she agrees to it, you can bring it with you tomorrow, and I can give it to Sergei before he leaves." He nodded and gave her a small smile.

"Okay. I'll talk it over with Robin and give you an answer tomorrow." She smiled back.

"That's good to hear. Talk to you later, Marcus." He nodded and smiled and Irina left his office.

The next day Dixon walked up to Irina.

"I talked to Robin yesterday and she was very excited that the necklace might be fixed. I told her not to get her hopes up, but she's willing to give it a go. So here." He handed her a small box with the necklace in. Irina gave him a soft smile.

"I'll take good care of it, and tell Sergei to guard it with his life. I'll keep in touch with the guy I know, to see if he can fix it, and I'll let you know if he can or not. The minute Sergei comes home from San Francisco with the necklace, whether it's fixed or not, I'll return it to you." He smiled back.

"Okay. Thank you."

"You're welcome."

* * *

The next day Jack called Vaughn and Eric into his office.

"You wanted to see us?"

"Yes, have a seat." They sat down and once they had, Jack went on. "I have a small assignment for you tomorrow. We have gotten intel that a weapons dealer by the name of Derek Mason, is in town and will most likely make a deal tomorrow." He handed them a picture of the man in question. "We have information that he'll be at the fish factory tomorrow by the harbor. You two will go in and pose as workers, and do the same work as everyone else, while keeping a lookout for Mason. You're not to intervene. Your job is to observe, and once your shift ends you'll come straight back to APO and report on what you've seen. Here are your identifications." He handed them a folder with their new names on them.

"So I'm Walther Branson for a day."

"And I'm Harvey Jennings. So what if something goes on? Are we going to stop it or contact you?"

"No. Your only job is to observe what's going on. You'll go in unarmed, and go about your day as everyone else."

"So what work are we supposed to do?"

"Gut fish and pack fish I assume. The factory often hires new workers every day, so someone will be there to tell you what to do. Your shift starts at 3.00 a.m. and ends at 3.00 p.m." Both Vaughn and Eric stared a little wide eyed at Jack. He gave them a glare. "Is there a problem?" They shook their heads.

"No, of course not."

"Just one question." Jack nodded for Vaughn to go on. "Why are we put on this case? Surely there are other people, who could take this case, if all we're supposed to do is observe?"

"You two are put on the case, because Derek Mason is a very sensitive matter. If something is going on, it'll more than likely be a matter for black ops." They both nodded. "We'll also have a car parked outside that'll be taping. That way we've got all angles covered. That's it. You're dismissed. See you tomorrow here after 3.00." They nodded and left his office. When they got away from Jack's office Eric shook his head and looked at Vaughn.

"I don't know anything about gutting fish. Nadia and I never buy a fish with head or anything."

"Neither do Sydney and I. But since the place is used to new workers, I guess they can't expect much. I'm sure we'll be fine." Eric nodded.

"Yeah, I'm sure you're right." They smiled at each other and went back to work.

* * *

The next morning Vaughn and Eric went to the fish factory at 3.00 a.m. They had both been yawning for most of the morning, and had been drinking coffee on their way to the harbor to stay awake. They pulled into the parking lot, and Eric looked at Vaughn.

"Well we're here. Let's go, Walt."

"Right behind you, Harv."

"Actually I prefer Harvey, if you don't mind. Do you want me to call you Walther?" Vaughn shook his head at Eric.

"I really don't care what you call me. It's going to be a long day, so let's just concentrate on looking out for Mason."

"You've got it Wally."

"Don't call me Wally." Eric laughed and Vaughn rolled his eyes at him.

They went over to all of the other workers, who were waiting to be let in. They got in the line that was reserved for the new workers and waited until they were let in. A man looked at them when it was their turn to get in.

"Name?"

"Walther Branson and this is my buddy Harvey Jennings."

"Spare me your life story. Have either of you ever gutted fish, or handled fish before?"

"No sir, but we're eager to learn." The man gave Vaughn an angry look.

"Don't sir me. Yes, I'm your boss, but don't sir me. You're quite a smart mouth, aren't you? I'll bet that you and your little lover boy here, don't last a day. You don't look tough enough to be in this business. Don't worry. We'll teach you a couple of things about this trade. Maybe by the time you leave, you'll have grown some balls. Move your sorry asses down to the fishing boats. A new shipment of fish is about to come in and you're going to help unload it. You think you can handle that pretty boy?" Vaughn and Eric both forced a smile.

"We'll do our best."

"Good. Now move it." They were slightly pushed and rolled their eyes. Eric shook his head.

"I have to admit I'm a little hurt." Vaughn looked at him curiously.

"What are you talking about?"

"Well, you could have told him that I'm not your lover boy." Vaughn rolled his eyes.

"Stop it. Let's just concentrate on the job."

"Sure thing, Wally."

After unloading fish for five hours Vaughn and Eric were pulled aside by their boss. He took them up to the upper floor of the building.

"Now Betty and Daisy, it's time to teach you girls how to gut fish." He took them with him to where people were gutting fish. "Look at what they do, and then walk over there and get started on your own fish." He pointed at another table nearby, where there was a big load of fish waiting for them. He then walked away. Vaughn and Eric started to observe the people who were gutting fish.

"Gosh, this is really disgusting. And it stinks."

"Yeah, tell me about it."

Ten minutes later they were still observing when their boss came back.

"Why are you two still standing here? You have fish to gut. You're not here to judge which fish is the prettiest. Now move your asses, Betty and Daisy." Vaughn and Eric quickly got over to their table, and their boss put a fish on the table for each of them and a knife. "Heads, intestines, and everything that you cut off from the fish goes in these buckets here." He pointed to some buckets that were by the table. "Now start gutting." They nodded and he left.

They had a hard time gutting the fish, and they grimaced every time they cut a head off and took out the intestines. They had also been looking out for Derek Mason. Eric looked over at Vaughn.

"So do you think I'm Betty or do you think I'm Daisy?" Vaughn stared at Eric in disbelief of the question he'd just asked.

"I really don't care. The guy is a pain, so just don't think anymore about that idiot."

"Oh come on. I'm only trying to lighten the mood. We could really use that with this disgusting job we're doing." Eric grimaced as he caught off another head. "I can look at a guy blown to pieces, and it doesn't bother me, but this is really disgusting."

"Yes, I know, but let's just keep our eyes focused on what we're here for. Have you seen any sign of Mason?" Eric shook his head.

"No, not at all. I've been looking all the time, but still no sign. But we're still here for a long time, so I'm sure he'll show."

"Yeah, me too."

Two hours later their boss walked up to them again.

"My god, you girls are pathetic. Are you sure you shouldn't rather be getting a manicure or a pedicure right now? Pick up the pace. You're slowing the production down. And empty your buckets." He was about to walk away when Eric stopped him.

"Uh, boss?" He turned around and stared annoyed at Eric. Eric gave him a forced smile. "Where do we empty the buckets?"

"Down there at the end." He pointed to the end of the big room, where a big sliding door was open. "There's a big container on the ground. Just dumped the contents from the buckets from up here down into the container. It might make a few splashes and you'll probably get some of the fish guts on you. You think you two can handle that, or are you going to run away crying?" Eric forced another smile.

"No, we'll manage just fine. Thank you for your help."

"Be careful of the floor. It can be a little slippery. I would hate for you girls to break a nail." Eric nodded. "Get back to work." Eric shook his head when he looked back at Vaughn.

"Not exactly a friendly guy."

"No, he's not. Let's empty the buckets so we don't have to listen to him again." Eric nodded and they both picked up two buckets. When they got to the end of the room, they grimaced as they looked down in the container.

"That is really disgusting."

"Yeah, let's just throw it out and head back inside."

"I can hardly breathe."

"I know. Neither can I. Just breathe through your mouth." They emptied their buckets and headed back to work.

Several hours later Vaughn and Eric still hadn't spotted Derek Mason, and they still weren't that good at gutting fish. Their boss had yelled at them all day and the floor on the way to the container had gotten more and more slippery. They were completely lost in thought, and were not far from dumping the fish guts in the container, when their boss yelled at them.

"Hey Betty and Daisy." He startled them and they lost their footing on the slippery floor.

"Oh no. No, no." Instead of regaining their footing they ended up bumping into each other, and they fell into the container full of fish guts, with their own buckets of fish guts landing on their heads.

"This is disgusting." They were both spitting as they'd gotten some of the fish guts in their mouths, and stood up trying to clean themselves, even though that was completely impossible.

"It certainly gives a whole new meaning to the phrase 'sleeping with the fishes'. I think I'm going to be sick."

"This isn't a hotel, where you can take a swim in the pool." They looked up and saw their boss looking down on them. "Get out of there and get back to work." He went back inside and they looked at each other rolling their eyes.

"I'm glad I don't do this for a living."

After having worked in their fish gut covered clothes for a few more hours, their shift ended. They were about to walk out of there, when their boss stopped them.

"Don't bother coming back tomorrow. You girls are useless." He then left without saying anything to them. They looked at each other rolling their eyes, before walking out to the car. Vaughn got two blankets from the car, so they could sit on them, since they hadn't brought any clean clothes. He shook his head as they left the harbor.

"What a waste. We didn't spot Mason."

"Yeah. I can't believe we'll be showing up at APO like this. I could really use a shower."

"Me too. But I'm sure Jack will let us go and take a shower right after we get back."

"Yeah, I think you're right."

* * *

When they arrived at APO everyone was staring at them and covering their noses, because Vaughn and Eric smelled really badly. They were told that Jack was in the meeting room, and they walked straight there. When they walked in Jack, Irina, Sydney, Nadia, Marcus, Marshall, Carrie, and Kendall were there. They all stared wide eyed at them, when they saw that they were covered in fish guts. Jack shook his head slightly.

"What happened?"

"Long story, Jack."

"But the short version is, we fell into a container full of fish guts."

"You did what?"

"Yeah, we know. Not our finest hour, but we didn't blow our cover." Jack nodded.

"We didn't spot Mason. He was nowhere in sight. We kept a lookout for him all day, but we didn't spot him." Just then another agent walked in with a package.

"Sir. The footage from the fish factory just arrived, and there's a note with some specific times, you should pay most attention to."

"Thank you, Jones." The agent left.

"Well, maybe this will show Mason." Vaughn and Eric both smiled a little hopefully.

Jack put the disc in and turned on the volume so everyone could see and listen. He looked at the note that followed the disc, and fast forwarded to the first time given. Vaughn and Eric stared a little wide eyed as they watched themselves arrive and heard the conversation they had with their boss. Jack continued to fast forward and everyone saw every time Vaughn and Eric were made fun of by their boss, and also when they fell into the container. Everyone with the exception of Vaughn and Eric were laughing throughout the whole thing. Once they'd all watched the highlights that had been indicated on the note that followed with the disc, Jack turned it off and looked back at Vaughn and Eric, who were both staring at him.

"Jack, what was that about?"

"Yeah that was not footage of Derek Mason." Jack smirked at them.

"No, it wasn't. You see, Derek Mason is not a weapons dealer. He's a CIA agent."

"What?" They shook their heads in confusion.

"Then what was this assignment about?"

"You really don't know?" They shook their heads at Jack, not knowing what was going on. He smirked at them some more. "April Fool's, boys." They stared wide eyed at him, while everyone else laughed harder and harder. "You see I wanted to get back at you for all the jokes and pranks you've pulled on me. So, I called up Derek and asked for his help. His brother owns the fish factory, and he was happy to help. His brother is the guy, who was your boss for the day. I must admit it went better than I'd imagine, and that's really because you fell into the container. Thank you, boys, for making this the best April Fool's Day ever." He smirked at them and everyone but them laughed harder. Vaughn closed his eyes and shook his head.

"I can't believe I didn't realize it was April Fool's Day." Eric shook his head too.

"Yeah, me either." He then let out a small laugh and looked at Jack smiling. "Well played, Jack." Jack smiled back at him triumphantly.

"Next time don't play with the big fish. No pun intended." Everyone laughed more and Vaughn and Eric nodded and smiled slightly. "Now Betty and Daisy." Jack stopped himself and smirked at them. "Or do you prefer pretty boy and lover boy?" They rolled their eyes at him and he continued. "I suggest the two of you leave and hit the showers, because you stink. In the meantime the rest of us will look at the footage again." They rolled their eyes and left his office.

"Gosh, he really got us good."

"Yeah, he really did." They looked at each other and laughed a little shaking their heads on the way to the shower.

* * *

A week and a half later Sergei returned from San Francisco. The guy, Irina knew, had been able to repair the necklace, so Sergei went over to Jack and Irina's house the minute he got home.

"Hi Sergei. Come on in. Did you have a nice trip?" He smiled at Irina as he walked into the hall.

"Yes, I had a great time. Here's the necklace." He handed her the box, and she smiled.

"Thank you for taking care of this. Why don't you go into the living room and say hi to Jack. I'll just go into the kitchen and call Marcus." He nodded and they went in opposite directions.

* * *

Dixon and Chase were watching TV when the phone rang. He walked over and answered it.

"Dixon."

"_Hi Marcus. It's Irina."_ He looked over at Chase and smiled, covering the phone so Irina wouldn't hear him talking to Chase.

"It's Marshall. I'm just going to take the phone into the kitchen." He didn't think that she'd want to talk to Marshall about anything, so he was always a good excuse to use, if Irina called. If he said that it was Jack who was calling or Kendall, she might want to talk to them, so he couldn't risk her wanting to do that. She smiled back at him.

"Okay." He nodded and went to the kitchen.

"Sorry to keep you waiting. What's up?"

"_Sergei just arrived home, and I had him come over with the necklace. Do you want me to come over with it now?" _

"Um."

"_Or I could just meet you out in the street."_ She knew that Chase wouldn't want her anywhere near the house, so she thought she'd make it easier on Dixon, by suggesting that they meet outside.

"Actually, Robin is at a friend's house tonight."

"_Do you have the address? I could drive over there and give it to her."_ Dixon smiled.

"You don't have to do that. You knew a guy who could fix it, so I should be the one to pick it up."

"_I don't mind dropping by with the necklace. I know how much Robin really wants to have it back."_ He considered it for a moment and then smiled to himself again.

"Yeah, she really would love to have it back, and she'd love to have it as soon as possible. But I don't want you to go to any trouble."

"_It's no trouble at all."_

"Okay, let me just get the address."

* * *

Two minutes later Irina walked to the living room with her car keys in her hand.

"I'm just going to drop off Robin's necklace. She's at a friend's house. I shouldn't be that long." Jack smiled.

"Okay." She looked at Sergei.

"Will you be here when I get back?" He shrugged.

"Probably not. I'm a bit tired, and I have some work to do tomorrow."

"Okay. I'll talk to you tomorrow then."

"Yeah. See you tomorrow."

* * *

Irina drove to the address Marcus had given her. She parked the car in the street and started to walk up to the house, but her instincts told her there was something wrong. The house looked too dark, and she knew that Robin and her friend couldn't possibly have gone to bed already. The curtains were also all covering the view in. Deciding not to ring the bell she walked around the house quietly instead, not wanting to alarm anyone, if her instincts were wrong. As she came to the back yard, she saw that the lights were on in the living room, but that the curtains were covering the view too. She heard a male voice inside, and Robin screaming slightly. She quickly moved closer and was able to get a small peak from between the curtains. Robin's friend was lying on the floor, appearing to be knocked out, and Robin were thrown onto the couch, and slapped hard. Irina had a feeling what was about to happen and she quickly went to the door, knocked part of the glass out, so she could unlock the door, and ran inside fast. She completely shocked the intruder.

"What the hell?" She stared him down.

"Why don't you come and play with me instead?" He laughed at her.

"You bitch. I'll take care of you in no time, and then go back to have my fun with the younger ones."

"Take your best shot."

"You asked for it."

He got angry and came charging at her. She stood her ground and when he took a swing at her, she had him on the floor knocked out in a matter of a few seconds. She wanted to hurt him more. Wanted to kill him for what he was about to do, but also knew that she couldn't. She quickly ran over to Robin.

"Robin, can you hear me? It's Irina. Can you hear me, sweetheart?" She groaned a little.

"Ye…yes." Irina smiled and kissed her forehead.

"Good, good. Did he hurt you?"

"N….no."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"Good. Do you know if he did anything to your friend?"

"He didn't."

"Good. What's her name?"

"Mel…Melissa."

"Okay. I'm just going to check on her. Then I'm going to call the police and your father, okay?"

"Okay." Irina nodded and moved down on the floor to Robin's friend.

"Melissa, can you hear me? My name is Irina. I'm a friend of Robin's." She shook her, a little and then a little more, when there wasn't an answer. She groaned a little and Irina felt relieved.

* * *

Dixon was getting himself a glass of water when the phone rang.

"Dixon."

"_Marcus, it's Irina. You better come to Robin's friend's house. There was an intruder. The __police are on the way."_

"What? What happened?"

"_I don't know. But when I got here, I thought something was off, so I went around the back, and there was a man inside. Robin's friend was out cold on the floor, and the man…I think he was about to rape Robin."_ She could hear Dixon gasp on the other end of the line. _"He never got the chance. I stopped him. But you better get here."_

"Yes, of course. I'm on my way." He hung up the phone and got his car keys immediately. Chase had come into the kitchen and looked at him a little curiously.

"Who was that?"

"Irina." She got a little annoyed by hearing that name.

"Why on earth is she calling at this hour?"

"It was about Robin. She was nearly raped." Chase gaped.

"What?"

"Look I don't have time to explain. I need to get to Robin."

"Yes, of course. Let's go."

* * *

Fifteen minutes later Dixon and Chase arrived at the house. The police had already arrived and Dixon and Chase walked inside when they had parked the car. A cop stopped them at the entrance to the house.

"Sir, you can't come in here."

"I'm Robin Dixon's father. I was told my daughter was here." The cop nodded and let Dixon and Chase inside. They walked further into the house, and saw that Irina was being questioned by a cop. "Irina." Irina and the cop looked in Dixon's direction as he walked over.

"Marcus."

"Excuse me sir, who are you?" The cop looked at him.

"I'm Robin Dixon's father. Where is she?"

"She's in the living room. A medic is examining her." He nodded and immediately went to the living room, and found Robin.

"Robin." She looked up when Dixon came over and started to cry.

"Dad." He hugged her and was on the verge of tears himself. He looked her over.

"Are you okay? Did he hurt you? I mean did he…?"

"No, dad. He hit me, but didn't hurt me other than that. Irina got to us in time."

"Thank god." He hugged her again. The medic tapped him on the shoulder.

"Excuse me sir, but I should finish examining her, and treat her wounds."

"Yes, of course. I'll be right over here, honey." Robin nodded.

Dixon looked over at Melissa's parents, who had arrived a little earlier than Dixon. Melissa was more awake now, and a medic was treating her as well. He gave her parents a nod and went over to Irina and the cop.

"So could you tell me one more time what happened, Mrs. Bristow?"

"I came over here to give Robin a necklace. I noticed that all the curtains were covering the view in, so I thought something was wrong. I then went around the back, where I was able to peak through the curtains. I could see that Robin's friend was on the floor knocked out, heard Robin scream, and saw the intruder throw her down on the couch slapping her. It looked to me like he intended to rape her, and that was also the impression I got when I broke into the house."

"Yes, instead of calling the police first, you broke in, and were going to fight the guy off yourself. Tell us again why you didn't call the police first and waited for us to arrive."

"Like I said before, I didn't think there was time to wait for the police to arrive. If I waited, I'm pretty sure he would've raped her."

"So instead you broke in and decided to handle things yourself."

"Yes, as I told you, I'm trained in martial arts. I know how to defend myself."

"What if he had a knife, or worse, a gun?"

"Like I said, I know how to defend myself."

"Even against a gun or a knife?" Dixon shook his head in disbelief at the questioning.

"What is this about? She saved my daughter and her friend from being raped and probably even killed. There's no reason for you to ask her these questions. She's not the bad guy here."

"I'm sorry, sir, but it just seems a little strange that she breaks in and is able to defend herself just like that, without so much as a scratch. The intruder is not exactly a small guy."

"Like she said, she's good at defending herself."

"And just how well do the two of you know each other?"

"Very well. We work together and have worked together for years now. I can vouch for her, and tell you that you have no reason to doubt what she's telling you. I trust this woman with my life, and I recent the line of questioning." Chase gaped a little when she heard how Dixon was defending Irina. Melissa's parents walked up to them.

"Officer, please. This woman saved our daughter's life. You should not treat her like she did something wrong."

"She's absolutely right. If she'd waited for you to arrive, it would've been too late. You should thank her for helping you catch such a creep rather than questioning her." The cop nodded and a colleague waved him over.

"Excuse me." Irina turned to Dixon.

"How's Robin?"

"A bit shook up, but other than that I think she's fine." She smiled at him and then turned to Melissa's parents.

"And your daughter? How is she?"

"The same as Robin. They say it would be best if she spends the night in the hospital. Thank you so much for arriving when you did. I can't bear to think what would've happened if you hadn't shown up when you did." Without warning Melissa's mother threw her arms around Irina and hugged her.

"I'm glad she's alright."

"Mrs. Bristow." Irina and Melissa's mother let go at each other as the cop, who'd questioned Irina walked over. Irina nodded at him. "We just got word that the intruder is a wanted criminal. He's wanted for burglary, drugs, and rape. We have enough on him to throw him away for years, so we have no reason to question your way of stopping him. We won't be contacting you, so you're free to go home. Thank you for your help." He gave her a nod, and she nodded back. At the same time Melissa was rolled out into the hall on a stretcher. Her mother stopped the medics.

"Honey, this is the woman who saved you." Melissa gave Irina a smile to the best of her abilities.

"Thank you." Irina smiled back.

"You're welcome." She gently squeezed her hand before the medics took her away. Her parents thanked Irina once again, and went after their daughter. Seconds later Robin walked into the hall followed by a medic.

"Mr. Dixon, your daughter is not so badly injured. She doesn't need to go into an ambulance, but you should probably take her to the hospital." He nodded and hugged Robin when she walked up to him. She then looked at Irina and went and hugged her too, crying a little.

"Thank you for saving me." Irina hugged her a little tighter.

"You're welcome, sweetheart." They let go of each other and Irina kissed Robin's forehead. "I should probably give you want I came here for." She took the box out of her inner pocket and handed it to her. Robin opened it and smiled broadly.

"Mom's necklace. Look, dad, it's as good as new." Dixon looked at it and smiled.

"Yes, I can see that." Robin hugged Irina again.

"Thank you. Thank you so much."

"My pleasure." Dixon smiled at her too.

"Yes, thank you very much."

"You're welcome, Marcus." She smiled back at him.

"Well, we should probably get you to the hospital, Robin." They nodded and walked out of the house. Dixon looked at Irina. "Could you tell Jack that I won't be at work tomorrow?"

"Yes, of course. Take care." She smiled softly at all three, but while she received smiles from Dixon and Robin, she received an angry look from Chase. They then went in their cars and drove off.

* * *

When Irina arrived home Jack met her in the hall immediately.

"What took you so long? I was getting a little worried. I know you can take care of yourself, but still." Without saying anything she threw her arms around Jack and hugged him. Feeling that she needed to be held, he hugged her back tightly. "Sweetheart, what's wrong? What happened?"

"Robin and her friend were nearly raped tonight."

"What?"

"I thought something was wrong when I arrived, so I went around the back and there was an intruder inside. He'd already knocked out Robin's friend, and Robin was not much better herself. I broke into the house, before he could do anything worse to them. I called the police and then Marcus arrived too. They had questions, which is why it took so long. I'm sorry I didn't call. I didn't mean to make you worry." He stopped hugging her, so that he could look at her, but still kept her in his arms.

"Don't worry about not calling me. That's fine. But are you alright?" She smiled.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I mean I felt like killing the bastard, but I'm fine now." He still looked at her concerned, and she smiled a little broader. "Yes sweetheart, I'm fine." He smiled back at her and gave her a kiss.

"Okay." He then hugged her tightly again, and they stood like that for a few minutes before going to bed.

* * *

The next day Irina was working in Jack's office with Nadia. Jack was at CIA headquarters, so since Irina and Nadia were working on a big report they needed a lot of space, and therefore used Jack's office. Irina heard someone enter the office and thought Nadia returned with the information she was getting.

"That was fast, sweetheart."

"You've got the wrong person." Irina looked up and saw an angry Chase staring at her.

"Director Chase, I thought you were Nadia."

"Well as you can see I'm not." Irina nodded. "I see you're working in Director Bristow's office again." Her tone was harsh.

"Yes, Nadia and I are working on a big report, so Jack said we could use his office." She spoke kindly to Chase like she always did.

"Did he really?"

"Yes. He's at CIA headquarters now. You can call him and ask him yourself if you'd like."

"Don't be a smart mouth, Agent Bristow."

"I wasn't trying to be." Chase kept staring angrily at her. "How's Robin?"

"I don't see that, that's any concern of yours."

"I care about her. Marcus is my friend, which makes Robin important to me."

"Oh yes, you're the big friend. Always there when needed, like fixing Robin's necklace. Why was it you did that? Was it because you wanted to make it up to her for being responsible for her mother's death?" Irina gaped a little.

"I had nothing to do with Diane's death. You might not believe that, but it's the truth." Chase scoffed at her.

"And why should I believe you? You're good at lying, so there's no reason to believe that you're telling the truth. And now you're even behaving like a good little hero. Tell me something, Agent Bristow. Did you find that intruder, and pay him to beat up Robin and her friend, just so that you could catch him in the act and make yourself look good?" Irina stared wide eyed at Chase at the accusations that were thrown at her.

"No, absolutely not. I was there to return the necklace to Robin, because I knew she wanted it as soon as my cousin brought it back from San Francisco."

"You were the one who told Marcus that you would be happy to take it to her, so you could've staged the whole thing, and make yourself a hero."

"I did no such thing. I wanted to come by your house with the necklace, but Marcus told me Robin wasn't home. I then asked for the address, because I knew how much Robin wanted to have it back. I had no way of knowing that Robin wasn't home."

"Maybe not, but you still had time to call the intruder and have him go to the house, and beat up the girls before you arrived to save the day." Irina shook her head in disbelief.

"How dare you." Both Irina and Chase turned towards the door to see Nadia standing there. She was furious at Chase

"Agent Bristow this is no concern of yours."

"No concern of mine? She's my mother and you're accusing her of having something to do with what happened to Robin and her friend. Don't tell me this is no concern of mine."

"I would not take that tone with me."

"Yeah, well I don't give a damn what you think."

"Agent Bristow, you do realize that you're talking to a director, right?"

"And you do realize who my father is, right? And you do know the lengths he'll go to, to protect his family, right? So don't you dare threaten me, because you know that you don't want to deal with my father." Chase gaped a little at Nadia. "I can't believe you. Robin is practically your stepdaughter, and instead of being happy that nothing really horrible happened to her, and being thankful that my mother showed up just in time, you believe that she played a part in this whole thing. Do you have any idea how sick that is?"

"You're aware of your mother's history, just as much as I am. Therefore I have every reason to believe that she's not as good as she claims to be."

"Yes, I am, and history is the operative word. Everything she's ever done is in the past. She's worked for the CIA for almost five years, and not once has she done something wrong. Stop living in the past and join the rest of us in the present." Chase gaped at her even more for a few seconds. She then sent Irina a cold, angry glare and walked out the door without saying anything else. Irina walked over to Nadia and hugged her.

"Breathe, sweetheart." Nadia's breathing slowed down after being so worked up over Chase.

"I can't believe her. She has no business accusing you of anything. Especially not when you saved Robin's life. I really felt like hitting her." Irina chuckled a little and kissed Nadia on the side of the head.

"Thank you for sticking up for me." She took Nadia's face in her hands and kissed her cheek. Nadia smiled back at her.

"Of course, mom. Always. But you should really have said something to Chase. You shouldn't let her talk to you like that."

"I know, but I don't want to make things more complicated for Marcus. He would suffer the most if I started talking back to Chase. And Stephen and Robin would suffer too."

"I know mom."

"Why don't we get back to work, before you father comes back."

"Sure." They hugged one more time before sitting down and going back to work. While working Irina wondered if Chase would ever feel differently about her.

**TBC**


	9. Chapter 9

**SofiaBlackBristow:** Believe me you're far from boring. :-) I'm very honored and flattered that you think so highly of my story, and I appreciate every single comment I get - they're wonderful to get and it lets me know that people are reading my story. Thank you for saying and thinking that I capture the spirit of Jack and Irina perfectly. *blush* I can also only repeat myself when I tell you that you're much too kind - thank you so much. :-) I'll keep writing. Kiss to you too. :-)

* * *

**Chapter 9**

Four days later Kendall was going over some work with Sydney, Nadia, and Marshall at APO.

"So, Marshall you've got the surveillance covered?"

"Yes, absolutely." Kendall looked at Nadia.

"And you make sure to call our team, so that they can intercept."

"Yes."

"Sydney, you're responsib…."

"What a nice little gathering you have here." They all turned to see Katya standing there. Everyone but Kendall smiled at her and said hi. Kendall gave her a neutral look.

"I'll be with you in a second." He turned around to everyone else. "So, Sydney, you'r…"

"It's a very lovely day outside. Wouldn't you all agree?" Kendall rolled his eyes, turned to her and spoke politely.

"Katya, we're a little busy. Could you just wait a second? We're almost done with this." He turned back to the others again. "As I was saying, Sydne…"

"I guess you haven't been much in the sun, because your head is quite pale." He gave out a frustrated grunt and looked at her annoyed. His voice was as annoyed as his expression.

"Katya, please. Just be quiet for a few minutes until we're done." She cocked an eyebrow at him. He turned around towards the others again.

"Now, Sydney, like I wa…"

"You really haven't learned any manners yet. You shouldn't talk that way to a woman." He let out a frustrated grunt and was about to lose his temper, when he suddenly realized something. He turned around and smirked at her.

"Who let you in?" She was taken aback by his sudden change.

"Excuse me?"

"I asked you, who let you in. I'm supposed to sign you in. If I'm not here, then the only other people, who can sign you in, are Jack and Marcus. But I know they didn't sign you in, because they both left the office an hour ago, and they won't be coming back here for the rest of the day. So, I ask again. Who let you in?" She got annoyed.

"What does that have to do with anything?" He crossed his arms and cocked an eyebrow at her.

"Answer the question." She got a little mad.

"Fine. One of the guards let me in, because he knows how idiotic it is that you still have to sign me in." He smirked at her.

"You just broke your pardoning agreement." She gaped at him and got angry.

"I did not break my agreement. It's not my fault that the guard signed me in."

"Oh sure it's not." He rolled his eyes and smirked at her again. "You know how it goes. You have to wait at the entrance, so I can sign you in. That's the deal, and you broke it. I'm sure you charmed the guard into letting you in, and he couldn't say no. The guard will be held responsible too, but regardless of him letting you in, you still broke your agreement because you should've waited." He smirked at her even more, and she got even angrier. "Marshall, get me security." She gaped at him and so did everyone else.

"Uh, um, Kendall, I don't know. Maybe you shoul…."

"Marshall, get me security now." Marshall swallowed and then nodded a few times.

"Yes, of course. Right away."

"You can't do that to me." Kendall laughed a little and then smirked at Katya.

"Oh yes I can." A few seconds later two security guards came up to Kendall. He spoke to them but never took his eyes off of Katya. "Take her to interrogation room two, and make sure she stays there." The security guards looked at Kendall a little confused.

"Sir?" He looked at them and nodded.

"Do as I say." They motioned for Katya to follow them, but Kendall put a hand up to stop them. "Ms. Derevko broke her pardoning agreement, so in the eyes of the law, she's a criminal. You will not let her walk on her own to the interrogation room. Take hold of her, and lock the door to the interrogation room. And under no circumstances are you to let her out." They hesitated. "Now." When Kendall raised his voice they took hold of Katya. She stared Kendall down coldly.

"How dare you. This was a minor thing. It can hardly be called a violation of my pardoning agreement." He smirked at her even more.

"I'll come and talk to you when I can." He then turned around to Sydney, Nadia, and Marshall, while the security guards took Katya away. They all shook their heads in disbelief of what Kendall had just done.

"I can't believe you did that."

"Believe it. Now let's get back to work."

* * *

An hour later Vaughn walked into Kendall's office with a report, he'd finished. Kendall was in the middle of doing a crosswords puzzle, and Vaughn looked at him a little oddly when he walked in.

"Here's the report." Kendall didn't look up from what he was doing.

"Thanks. Just put it on my desk." Vaughn nodded and did what he said. He then stood and looked for a few seconds.

"What are you doing?" Kendall still didn't look up.

"If you can't see what I'm doing, then either you're not cut out for a job in intelligence or you need glasses." Vaughn let out a small laugh.

"I can see that you're doing a crossword puzzle."

"Congratulations. You get to keep your job, and you have perfect sight." Vaughn let out another laugh and shook his head.

"You know, sometimes you're acting a lot like Jack." Kendall smirked, still not having looked up from what he was doing.

"I'll take that as a compliment." Vaughn rolled his eyes smiling.

"I meant, why are you doing a crosswords puzzle? Shouldn't you be talking to Katya?"

"I'm allowed to have breaks, and right now I'm on one. Having to talk to Katya is part of my job, so I have no intention of wasting my break on talking to her."

"So, you'll be talking to her after your break is over?"

"No. You just gave me some work to look over, so when my break is over, I'll be looking at that."

"You know she's only going to get pissed the longer you keep her waiting."

"I really don't care. Now if you have nothing more important to talk to me about, please leave." Vaughn let out another laugh and nodded.

"Okay. Enjoy your break." Kendall looked up at Vaughn and smiled at him.

"Thank you."

An hour later Sydney and Nadia walked into Kendall's office.

"Kendall, do you have a minute?" He looked at them and smiled.

"Yes, of course. What's up?"

"We just wanted to let you know that it was a success. Everything went as planned and the guy is now in custody."

"Good work." Nadia handed him a folder.

"Here's a report of the events."

"Thank you. I'll take a look at it now." Sydney and Nadia looked at each other, and then looked back at Kendall.

"You're going to look at it now?" He nodded.

"Yes. Why, is there a problem with that?"

"No, not really. But shouldn't you be talking to Katya? You haven't done that yet, have you?"

"No, I haven't. But I'm not going to talk to her just yet."

"You do know that she's going to be really pissed the longer you make her wait, right?"

"Yes, I'm well aware of that, but I don't care. She broke her pardoning agreement, so I'll get to her when I can." Sydney and Nadia looked at Kendall a little concerned.

"Yes, technically she broke her agreement, but you're not really going to let that matter, are you?"

"She's a great asset to the CIA. She can't really go back to jail for the rest of her life for a minor thing like this."

"I have no intention of sending her back to jail for the rest of her life. But what I am going to do, is make her wait in that interrogation room until I have the time to go and see her. Then I'm going to talk to her and make her understand her agreement." They nodded and smiled at Kendall.

"Okay."

"Well, we should be going. See you tomorrow." He smiled back at them.

"See you tomorrow, girls."

* * *

An hour and a half later one of the guards let Kendall into the interrogation room Katya was being held in. She was walking around the room angry. She looked at the door when Kendall walked in and got even angrier.

"Have a seat, Ms. Derevko." She didn't sit down. "The sooner you sit down, the sooner we can get this over with, and you'll know what's going to happen to you." She waited a few seconds but then sat down across from him at the table. He was about to speak when she cut him off before he could even get started.

"You've had me locked up in here for three and a half hours without anything to drink or eat, and without letting me go the restroom. That is a total lack of respect." He gave her neutral look.

"I've had work to attend to that was more important. And since you broke your agreement, you're a criminal, so you can't expect to be treated with respect." She stared at him coldly.

"That is absolutely bullshit and you know it. You've had your fun. Now let me out of here."

"I can't let you go before we go over your agreement, so that you know that you have to wait for me to sign you in every time you arrive at APO." He took out a folder and opened it. "This is a copy of your agreement. Now if you'll look here." He indicated the place he wanted her to look at with his finger. "You'll see that it says that yo…." She threw the folder down on the floor harshly and yelled at him.

"I know damn well what my agreement says." He stared back at her angrily.

"If you don't corporate, we'll be here longer than we have to." She pushed her chair back roughly and got up.

"I've already been here longer than I have to. Just let me go. Now."

"Sit down."

"No, I won't." He got up from his chair and walked over to her.

"Sit down now. I'm not asking again."

"I will not sit down." He took a hold of her arm gently, but she escaped his grab on her, and instead she twisted his arm on his back and threw him down against the table, pinning him down. "You should've let me go when I told you to."

"Guard. Guard." Kendall yelled for the guards and in two seconds two guards came in. "Get her off of me." The guards grabbed a hold of Katya. She tried to wiggle away, but she couldn't. Kendall stared at her coldly for a second and then grabbed the handcuffs from one of the guards. Katya stared back at him just as coldly.

"What do you think you're doing?" Without saying anything, Kendall went around to her back and cuffed her hands. "You can't do this. Let go of me." He went around, so that he could look at her.

"Yes, I can. You just attacked me, which is another violation of your agreement." He looked at the guards. "Take her to the secret operation facility and lock her up for the night." She gaped and he looked back at her. "Maybe by tomorrow, you'll have cooled down." The guards hesitated for a few seconds, and Kendall got angry. "Take her away now. That's an order." They nodded and took her away.

"You bastard. You can't do this. You can't do this." Katya was yelling after him, even when the guards had taken her out of the room. Kendall let out a frustrated grunt and kicked one of the chairs. He gathered himself for a few minutes before picking up the folder and walking out of the room.

* * *

Later in the evening at their house Jack and Irina were making out on the couch when the phone rang. They let it ring for a while, but when it kept ringing Jack let out a frustrated groan and Irina sighed.

"I think you better get that, sweetheart." Jack nodded and reluctantly went to answer the phone.

"Bristow."

"_Director Bristow, it's agent Holloway from the secret operation facility."_

"Yes, what is it?"

"_We have Katya Derevko in custody."_ Jack's eyes widened.

"You have what?" Irina looked at him curiously and he put the speaker on so that she could hear.

"_Yes, apparently she and Assistant D__irector Kendall got into an argument. She went to APO and had a guard sign her in, without notifying Assistant Director Kendall. He then made her wait in an interrogation room for more than three hours, because not having him sign her in is a violation of her agreement. When he then went to talk to her, she attacked him somehow. Assistant Director Kendall thought that she should spend the night in jail. I don't know the whole story, sir, but I think that was pretty much what happened."_ Jack and Irina stared wide eyed at each other in disbelief and then shook their heads.

"Okay. So why are you calling me?"

"_Ms. Derevko said to __call you. She said that as the Director of APO, you have the over all responsibility of all the staff and therefore you can get her out of jail tonight. And she also said you'd do it, because you're her brother-in-law. So, should I let her out, sir?"_ He looked at Irina for a few seconds.

"I'm going to put you on hold and get back to you."

"_Yes, sir."_ Jack put the agent on hold and looked at Irina. She shook her head and rolled her eyes.

"I can't believe those two. I mean, it's one little thing to have him sign her in, so why couldn't she just wait for him."

"I don't know. So why did you put the agent on hold? Why didn't you just give him an answer right away?" Jack shrugged.

"Because, I don't know what to tell him. Yes, Katya is my sister-in-law, and I do have overall responsibility of APO. But she's mainly Kendall's responsibility. But I don't know what to make of this whole situation. He made her wait for more than three hours, which I assume made her so pissed at him that she attacked him somehow. But I still don't know what to do."

"So the reason you didn't give the agent an answer, is because Katya is my sister and you want to know what I think, and really tell you what to do." He smiled a little embarrassed.

"Yeah, basically." She laughed a little and shook her head at him.

"Okay. Well, Katya should've waited for Kendall to sign her in. But the guard, who signed her in, should've stood his ground and refused. Anyway, my guess is that she then provoked Kendall, and that let him to have her wait for three hours. Now if he wanted to avoid her getting even angrier with him, he shouldn't have made her wait for that long. However, there's absolutely no reason for her to attack him. And she did also have the agent call us and interrupt us when we were having such a good time." She wiggled her eyes at him and he laughed.

"So you think she should spend the night in jail?"

"I don't really want to see my sister locked up, but just this once I'm okay with it. She should learn to go about certain things differently." He nodded and got back on the phone with agent Holloway.

"Agent Holloway."

"_Yes, sir."_

"Tell Ms. Derevko that you were unable to get a hold of me and that you tried twice. Tell her that after that, you didn't want to disturb me anymore at this hour, and that she'll have to spend the night in jail."

"_Yes, sir. Thank you for your time and I'm sorry to have bothered you."_

"One more thing."

"_Yes, sir?__"_

"Since Ms. Derevko is technically a criminal at this time, you should not accommodate any of her wishes. When she told you to call me, you should've refused. Is that understood?"

"_Yes, sir. Sorry sir."_

"Good. Goodnight."

"_Goodnight__, sir."_ Jack hung up the phone and Irina let out a laugh.

"Covering yourself, Jack?" He laughed a little too.

"Yeah. I can't very well have Katya know that agent Holloway talked to me, and that I refused to let her go. And she's technically a criminal, so he shouldn't pay any attention to her wishes." They laughed a little and Irina gave him a kiss. He smiled but then looked a little puzzled.

"What's wrong?"

"Well, I just don't get it."

"Get what?"

"Katya wasn't scheduled to be at APO today. If she was I would know about it. So why did she show up there today? I know that it's Sydney's birthday tomorrow, and that she'd be here for that, but that still doesn't explain why she was at APO. She doesn't usually help out with work there, when she doesn't have to but is still in town. Do you know why she was at APO? Did she say anything to you?" Irina shook her head.

"No, she hasn't said anything to me." Jack still looked puzzled and Irina kissed his cheek. "Why don't we get back to what we were doing before we were so rudely interrupted?" He smiled back at her and they went back to making out.

* * *

The next day at APO Kendall walked into Jack's office. He and Irina had just arrived and were both in the office.

"Morning. Do you two have a minute? I need to talk to you about something." They looked at him and smiled.

"Would it have anything to do with having Katya locked up?" He was stunned to hear what Jack just told him.

"How do you know about that?"

"Katya had an agent call us at home last night. She wanted me to let her out." Kendall gaped.

"What?" Jack let out a small laugh.

"She thought that I would agree to let her out, because I'm her brother-in-law and the boss of APO." Kendall rolled his eyes annoyed. "I didn't let her out. She's still locked up." That surprised him.

"You didn't let her out?" Jack shook his head. "Why not?"

"Because, you're the one that gave the order for her to be locked up, and that order should not be questioned. And technically she broke her agreement. From what agent Holloway told us, she apparently attacked you." Kendall nodded. "He gave us a pretty thorough description of what happened, but do you mind telling us yourself?"

"I was in the middle of explaining the details of an operation to Sydney, Nadia, and Marshall when Katya walked in and interrupted me. I told her to just wait until I was finished and then I'd get back to her. Well, she kept interrupting. I guess when I still didn't pay attention to her after a while, she got annoyed and she started throwing remarks at me. I was about to get mad, but then realized that I hadn't signed her in. I asked her who let her in, since I hadn't and it was my job to do so, and that you or Marcus couldn't have done it, because you weren't here. When she finally told me one of the guards let her in, I told her she broke her agreement, and I had Marshall, call security, and had them take her to one of the interrogation rooms. She got upset about that, and I guess it didn't really help when I told the guards to take hold of her, because she was a criminal at the time, having broken her agreement." Both Jack's and Irina's eyes widen a little as Kendall went on. "I made her wait for three and a half hours, without giving her anything to drink or eat and without letting her go to the restroom. I could've gotten to her sooner, but also wanted to make her wait. When I got there my intentions were not to throw her in jail for life for this minor incident, but merely have her look at her agreement, and annoy her a little by going through it thoroughly. Well, she threw the copy of the agreement on the ground, pushed her chair back and got up. I told her to sit down, and after she refused a few times, I gently grabbed her by the arm, wanting her to sit down. She then twisted my arm, threw me down on the table, and pinned me down. She might've backed off a few seconds later after having grabbed me, but I got really pissed by her reaction that I just called out for the guards immediately. They grabbed a hold of her, and I cuffed her." Irina shook her head stunned.

"You cuffed her?" He nodded.

"Yeah, sorry about that. Anyway, after having cuffed her, I told the guards to take her to the secret operation facility and lock her up for the night. I know that I could've handle the situation better, and that I might not have needed to put her in the interrogation room in the first place. But for once I just wanted to annoy her as much as she annoys me."

"Don't be sorry about cuffing Katya or locking her up. My sister needs to learn to go about some things differently." Kendall smiled back at Irina.

"Thank you for taking my side." He looked at Jack. "So, what about you?"

"If I wasn't on your side, I would've let Katya out last night. She interrupted something important, and she should've waited those few minutes before you could talk to her. Maybe you could've made her understand better that what you were working on was really important, and I'm sure she would've waited. But I can also understand that since she's always throwing remarks at you, you wanted to get back at her. I'm sure you'd know that locking her up for that long would only piss her off more and more. But again, with the remarks she throws at you, I can understand why you let her wait that long. And there's absolutely no reason for her to attack you. Maybe like you said, she would've let you go, but still she attacked you. And I can't really blame you for locking her up. Though, she'll probably be even more pissed at you now."

Jack couldn't help but laugh a little and Kendall rolled his eyes. Irina shook her head a little at Jack, but also couldn't help but laugh a little.

"Yeah, I'm sure she'll be even more of a handful now."

"Since we're on your side, you have to be on our side too." Kendall looked at Jack a little confused.

"What do you mean?"

"I told the agent last night to tell Katya that he was unable to get in touch with us. The three of us and that agent are the only ones, who know that the agent got in touch with us, and that I refused to let Katya out. You can't tell Katya that I refused to let her out. Not even if you end of yelling at each other, and you want someone else to take the heat for her spending the night locked up." Kendall rolled his eyes.

"Jack, of course I'll keep quiet."

"Good. Then I think you and I should go and pick up Katya now. I think she's spent enough time being locked up." Kendall sighed and Jack laughed a little. "Hey, I'm not looking forward to going either. She'll probably come down hard on me for not getting her out, but you're her contact person, so you have to be there. I'm going as a support to you, and because I'm the head of APO." Kendall nodded.

"Yeah, I know I have to go. And I appreciate you coming too. I'd hate to be in the car alone with her." Irina laughed a little.

"Are you scared of her?" He shook his head.

"No, I'm not. But she'll either give me the silent treatment or throw remarks at me. Either way I can at least talk to Jack in the car." Jack and Irina both laughed.

"Okay, let's go." Jack turned to Irina. "Could you tell Marcus that we're going, and about the situation?" She nodded. "Just leave out the part with me not wanting to let her out. Let's all just stick to the story that the agent last night wasn't able to get a hold of me. I don't want everyone to know and risk that someone talks about it while Katya is around." They all laughed a little.

"I'll make sure not to say anything about that." Jack and Kendall nodded and left to go and get Katya.

* * *

When Jack and Kendall walked down to the cell Katya was in, they looked at each other as the gates opened.

"This sure brings back memories." They both smiled a little and a few seconds later they stood by Irina's old cell.

Katya turned to look at them when she heard the footsteps had stopped. She went up to the glass and stared at them both angrily.

"Hi Katya. How are you?" Jack smiled at her, but she still looked at him angrily.

"Why didn't you answer the phone last night? You should've been here to get me out of this place."

"Irina and I went for a walk at the end of the back yard. We didn't hear the phone ring, and I was only just informed when Kendall and I arrived that you had an agent call the house." She eyed him seeing if he was telling the truth. But she couldn't tell that he wasn't.

"What is he doing here?" She didn't look at Kendall.

"He's your contact person, so he has to be here. He's also the reason you're here, so we're all going to talk about what happened yesterday."

"I have nothing to say to him. Just let me out. I want to go to your house, have a shower and rest for a while."

"Katya, I'm not letting you out until we've all talked." She gaped at Jack and he motioned for the guard, who went with them, to open the door. Jack and Kendall stepped inside and Jack turned around to the guard. "You can go now." The guard gave Jack a nod and left. Katya looked at them coldly.

"Fine, then talk, so I can get out of here."

"Kendall told me that when you arrived at APO yesterday, he was going through an important operation with Sydney, Nadia, and Marshall, and that you kept interrupting several times, even after he told you several times that he was busy. Is that correct or not?"

"I did not know that they were in the middle of going through an important operation. He never told me that."

"But he did tell you that he was busy, right?" She waited a few seconds before answering through clenched teeth.

"Yes, he did." Jack nodded.

"And you do know that you're not allowed into APO without having Kendall sign you in, right? And that if you do, you're in fact breaking your agreement?"

"I've been working for the CIA for more than four and a half years. He shouldn't have to sign me in anymore." Jack gave her a sincere smile.

"Just answer the question, Katya." She rolled her eyes.

"Yes, I know that he's supposed to sign me in before I'm allowed into APO, and that it's against my agreement for me to just walk in."

"Good. So the facts are that you had a guard sign you into APO, even though you knew it was against your agreement, and once inside you kept interrupting Kendall, even after he told you several times that he was busy. Correct?"

"Yes. Now that I've told you everything, you already knew, can we go now?" Jack shook his head.

"No, not yet. There's also the matter of what happened after. Since you broke your agreement, Kendall had every right to have you put in the interrogation room, so that he could talk to you later."

"He had me locked in there for more than three hours, without as much as something to drink or eat. And I wasn't allowed to go to the restroom. He also had the guards take hold of me. He should've let me walk on my own."

"Since you broke your agreement, you were technically a criminal. Not technically even. You were a criminal, and you were treated as one. Kendall did everything by the book." She stared coldly at Jack.

"Just whose side are you on?"

"I'm not on anyone's side. I'm just stating the facts."

"He still made me wait in there for longer than he would've made anyone else wait." Jack nodded.

"That may very well be. But I'm sure that given your history, with you often throwing remarks at him, and also doing it this time that, that only made him have you wait even longer."

"Yes, exactly. He wanted to get back at me, so he should be punished too."

"But still, he didn't do anything wrong, since you're the one who broke your agreement." She rolled her eyes. "Now getting to when he then came to talk to you. He wanted to explain your agreement to you, but you wouldn't listen and threw the copy on the agreement on the floor. Correct?"

"Yes."

"Then after that you pushed your chair back and refused to sit down, when Kendall told you to do so several times. Is that correct too?"

"Yes."

"Now, from what Kendall told me, he gently grabbed your arm, wanting you to have a seat. Is that also how you see it, or do you feel, he grabbed you too hard?" She briefly glanced at Kendall, and then shook her head.

"No, he didn't grab me too hard at all."

"Okay. So since he didn't grab you too hard, why did you feel the need to twist his arm on his back, throw him down on the table and pin him down?"

"He had made me wait for more than three hours. He was toying with me, and I didn't like it."

"So basically you wanted to toy with him too, which is why you attacked him?"

"Yes."

"You didn't intend to hurt him." She rolled her eyes.

"No, of course not. I was just pissed that he had made me wait."

"So, had he not called the guards, you would've let him go?"

"Yes, of course. I'd already spent enough time in the interrogation room and all I wanted was to get out of there." She looked at Kendall. "But no. You had to call the guards, cuff me, and make me spend the night in here." He looked back at her just as angrily.

"You should never have attacked me in the first place. You didn't leave me any choice but to call for the guards." She rolled her eyes.

"You're such a whiny little girl. If you had more of a spine, then you would've been able to get free yourself. But no, you had to cry for help like a little girl." Jack shook his head.

"Okay that's enough. You two can throw remarks at each other later." Kendall and Katya stared each other down for a few seconds before they both looked at Jack. "Even though you would've let him go, you still broke your agreement again by attacking him. Kendall was within his rights to have you locked up for the night. And in fact, he has every right to have you locked up for the rest of your life with the way you acted." Jack turned to Kendall. "Kendall, do you want to go further with this matter, and take actions against Katya, so that she'll spend the rest of her life in prison?" Katya stared at him and he remained silent for a few seconds before answering. He looked at Jack.

"Of course not." He then looked at Katya. "All I wanted was to have you look at your agreement for five minutes. Five minutes. I just wanted to go over your agreement and keep annoying you a little with showing you the details of your agreement, and point out that I have to sign you in when you arrive at APO. That was it. You would've been free to go after that, and I would've had my fun. But you went and screwed it up and attacked me. I might've made you wait for too long, but at least have a little self control or dignity and not attack me. You talk about showing you respect. Well, you damn well didn't show me any respect by attacking me. You deserved your night in here, and if you ever behave out of line like that again, I won't hesitate to have you locked up again." She stared at him coldly. "That being said, I do not wish to see you locked up for the rest of your life. You're a great asset to the CIA, and you do excellent work that the CIA can't be without." He looked at Jack again. "I think we can all agree that this matter has been dealt with and that there's no need to make more out of it. There's no need for this incident to go in her file. I'm not making a complaint against her, nor do I wish anyone else to. As far as I'm concerned, she's been punished." Jack nodded and then looked at Katya.

"You're lucky. I won't be making anymore out of the matter either. But you have to realize that Kendall has to sign you in whenever you come to APO, and that you can't attack him, just because you're pissed at him. Nor can you attack anyone else, if they piss you off. Are we clear on that?" He gave her a slight stern look, wanting her to know that he was serious. She looked at him and her anger faded some.

"Yes, we're clear on that." Jack nodded.

"Good, then let's get out of here. Kendall and I have work we have to get back to." He walked out of the cell first. Kendall and Katya looked at each other for a while, both still looking angrily at each other. Then Kendall left with Katya following him a few seconds later.

* * *

When they got to the parking lot and were about to get in the car, Kendall and Katya both went to sit up front. Katya stared angrily back at Kendall.

"What do you think you're doing?" He stared back at her the same way.

"I'm sitting up front."

"No, you're not. I am."

"No, you're not. I am."

"I've spent the night locked up thanks to you, so I should sit up front."

"No, you spent the night locked up thanks to you. Jack and I are dropping you off at his place, so there's no reason for me to sit in the back, and then change seats when you get out at the house."

"You're really pathetic. If you're not able to change seats, then I suggest you check yourself into a nursing home, so that you have someone to get you in and out of your seat, and to feed you, bathe you, and clothe you."

"I can get out of my seat just fine. But in this case there's no point in me doing so, since you're not going with us to APO. And if you can't handle sitting in the back, then you're the one who's pathetic."

They'd gotten more and more angry at each other and raised their voices more and more. Jack, who usually found it quite amusing whenever Kendall and Katya were throwing remarks at each other, was getting tired of them doing it now. He shook his head frustrated and jumped in the conversations just before Katya was about to throw another remark at Kendall.

"You're both pathetic." They both turned and looked at him, stunned of the slight angry tone to his voice. "I'm surprised neither of you yelled shotgun, when we approached the car. I do not have time to wait until one of you caves and gets in the backseat. Kendall, you're in the front, and Katya, you're in the back. I don't want to hear one word out of either of you for the entire ride. Are we clear on that?" They still looked at him a little stunned, but also a little angrily. They were mostly still angry at each other, but Katya didn't like that she was sitting in the back, and neither of them were happy about being told to be quiet. Jack gave them a stern look when they didn't answer. "I said, are we clear on that?" Both Kendall and Katya breathed heavily before answering simultaneously.

"Yes."

"Good. Now get in the car." They looked at each other, still angrily, not one of them moving. Jack shook his head frustrated. "If you're not in the car in five seconds, I'm leaving without you." They gave Jack a quick angry look, before getting in the car. Once they were in Jack shook his head and mumbled to himself. "Freaking nightmare."

Kendall and Katya had kept quiet the entire ride. Even Kendall had kept quiet from the ride from Jack's house to APO. When they arrived at APO Jack had explained everything to Irina, and she couldn't help but laugh a little from what Jack had told her happened in the parking lot. Jack and Kendall talked to each other later at APO, and Kendall apologized for his silly behavior about the matter of who should've sat in the backseat.

When Jack and Irina had gotten home Katya had pulled Irina aside and asked why she and Jack didn't answer the phone the night before. Irina had given the same answer as Jack, and after eyeing her sister for a while, Katya believed that to be the truth.

* * *

Later in the evening everyone went to Sydney and Vaughn's house for Sydney's birthday dinner. Kendall and Katya didn't greet each other and everyone rolled their eyes slightly. When they went to sit down to eat, Nadia, and Eric helped to carry everything to the dining room, while Kendall went to the bathroom. He arrived in the dining room at the same time as Sydney, Vaughn, Nadia, and Eric were carrying the food to the dining room. He was about to sit down, when Eric stopped him.

"You can't sit there." Kendall looked at him confused.

"Why not?"

"Because, Nadia needs to help Becky with her food." He nodded and looked for the next empty seat. Eric noticed which one he had his eyes on and stopped him. "You can't take that either, because that's the one closest to the bedroom David's in." He nodded and then looked at the two seats closest to the kitchen. Eric shook his head. "Can't sit there either. Sydney and Vaughn are the hosts and need to be closest to the kitchen."

Kendall gave out a frustrated grunt at the only last available seat. It was between Katya and Carrie. He could tell she wasn't thrilled about sitting next to him either, and he turned to Eric and whispered.

"I'm not sitting next to her. She attacked me yesterday, so for all I know, she'll be spilling hot food on me, or putting her fork in my thigh." Eric and Vaughn shook their heads.

"You don't really have a choice. With so many small children here, who might need a hand with their food, you have nowhere else to sit. Everything is arranged at the table, and we're not going to start moving everyone around now to accommodate yours and Katya's wishes. Besides, the food is on the table and warm, and if we move around, it's only going to get cold." Vaughn nodded.

"And it's Sydney's birthday, so you two are just going to have to suck it up, and put up with each other for as long as we're sitting down to dinner." He rolled his eyes giving out another frustrated grunt before sitting down next to Katya. She moved her chair a little away from him and they looked in opposite directions.

Katya and Kendall participated a little in the conversation throughout dinner, but they didn't speak to each other or look at each other. However, they couldn't keep it up, when Kendall needed the potatoes and they had ended up within Katya's reach. Kendall tried to avoid having to ask her for the potatoes, but decided he couldn't do it. He looked at his wine glass in front of him, when he asked her, speaking in as polite a tone as he could muster.

"Katya, could you pass me the potatoes?" She kept eating, ignoring him. He breathed deeply and tried again. "Katya, could you pass me the potatoes?" She still didn't respond and he let out a frustrated grunt and shook his head. "You're the one, who's within reach of the potatoes, so could you pass me the potatoes?" She still refused and he finally looked at her. "I've asked you nicely to pass me the potatoes, so grow up. What do you want me to say? Pretty please?" She looked at him and gave him an icy stare.

"You're one to talk about growing up. You couldn't handle yourself yesterday, so you had to cry for help." He returned the ice stare he was getting.

"And you're the one, who couldn't handle being locked up in the interrogation room for a little while without going all nuts."

"And you're the one, who couldn't handle that I had a guard sign me in. Does it make you feel like a real macho man to sign me? Is that how you compensate for being a whining little girl?"

"Okay that's it." They both looked at Sydney, who had spoken a little harshly. "Just stop. This is not the time, nor the place for you two, to throw remarks at each other. If you can't speak politely to each other and be civil around each other, then don't talk at all. But if someone asks you for something, you give it to that person. Katya, you're within reach of the potatoes, and Kendall asked you for them nicely. So just give them to him, and let's all continue to have a pleasant evening." They waited for a few seconds before responding. Kendall gave her a small smile.

"I'm sorry, Sydney. I didn't mean to ruin your birthday." Katya smiled at her too.

"I'm sorry too. I didn't mean to ruin you day either." Sydney smiled back.

"Thank you for apologizing. Now let's get back to enjoying the evening." They both nodded at her and Katya went back to eating. Kendall watched her and let out another frustrated grunt and shook his head. He didn't want to ask for the potatoes again, since he'd already asked her for them several times. Sydney noticed and gave Katya a stern glare. "Katya, Kendall already asked for the potatoes several times, so give them to him." Katya looked at Sydney and after waiting a few seconds she passed them on to him. He didn't look at her.

"Thanks." Katya and Kendall returned to eating and everyone else looked around each other rolling their eyes, with the exception of Irina, who watched her sister and Kendall.

* * *

The rest of the evening went pleasantly for everyone but Kendall and Katya. They stayed pretty much quiet after their argument during dinner. When everyone went home Sergei dropped Katya off at Jack and Irina's place and Katya went straight to bed. Jack and Irina went to the kitchen after having tucked the triplets in bed. Jack looked at Irina shaking his head.

"I'm all for them throwing remarks at each other, but after yesterday's events, I think they've gone a little too far. There's no reason to act like that at Sydney's birthday dinner." Irina nodded.

"Yeah, I agree. But I'm sure that everything will be back to normal after a while." Jack shook his head.

"For once I wish that they could just act like normal human beings around each other, and be polite to each other. That would be in the best interest for everyone." Irina nodded and smiled a little.

"Yes, it really would. I'm sure that they'll come around one day and be nice to each other." He shook his head.

"I seriously doubt it." He shook his head again and then looked at her and smiled. "We should probably get to bed." She smiled back.

"Why don't you go up? I'm just going to get a glass of water." He kept smiling at her and then walked over to her and kissed her.

"Okay. See you upstairs in a few minutes." She nodded.

"Yeah, I'll be right up." He left and she got herself a glass of water. As she drank the water, a small warm, smile spread across her lips. She kept smiling like that for a few seconds and nodding her head, before finishing her water and going upstairs.

* * *

Somewhere the two men set out to destroy Jack and Irina were going over their plans.

"I must admit that this is a brilliant plan."

"Yes, it is. Now all we have to do is make sure that they're not around for us to make the final preparations."

"Of course. And I'm pretty sure that won't be a problem."

"No, it won't be a problem at all."

"And our newest member will be most helpful, I'm sure."

"He doesn't have a choice. He knows that we won't hesitate to hurt the people he loves, if he doesn't do as we tell him to."

"So, all we have to do now is come up with a place where we know, they'll be for a few days."

"Yes absolutely. It might take a few days to come up with a secluded place, but I know that we'll find the perfect place."

"Of course we will."

**TBC**


	10. Chapter 10

**SofiaBlackBristow:** *lol* I'm glad, I could make you laugh. Yeah, Jack didn't want to let Katya out - Katya was wrong doing what she did, so she needs to learn her lesson. She's also mainly Kendall's responsibility, so he's not going to stand in the way of Kendall's decision. I'm thrilled to hear, you thought it was perfect. Thank you for reading and commenting - it means so much. :-)

**Rishka Derevko:** If you're on the edge of your seat now, then just wait for what's coming. *devil* I'm thrilled to hear that I leave you at the edge of your seat - it's a great compliment that the story has the effect on people that I was hoping for. *blush* Thank you for reading and commenting - it means so much. :-)

* * *

**Chapter 10**

A week later Jack called a meeting at APO. Irina, Sydney, Nadia, Vaughn, Eric, Marshall, and Carrie were all sitting in the meeting room when Jack, Dixon, and Kendall walked in. Everyone looked at the three heads of APO, not one of them having a clue what the sudden meeting was about. The three of them walked to the head of the table and faced everyone. Jack took a quick look around at everyone before starting.

"The reason why we called this meeting is because we just got word from Langley that they have received some coordinates of Sloane's whereabouts." Everyone stared in shock at the news they'd just been given, and it took a few seconds for them to respond.

"What?"

"No one has seen or heard from him in almost five years, and suddenly we have coordinates on his whereabouts?"

"Just how reliable are those coordinates?"

"We don't know."

"How did we get a hold of them?"

"They were sent to Langley anonymously." Everyone looked around at each other and then back at Jack, Dixon, and Kendall.

"Isn't that a little odd?" Jack nodded.

"Yes, it's very odd. And that's why the coordinates are being checked out thoroughly at Langley as we speak. But they also wanted us to check them out ourselves, before anyone is sent to Sloane's supposed whereabouts."

"You think Sloane could've sent us the coordinates himself, and that he wants us out of the way because he's up to something?"

"With Sloane anything is possible. But at this given time no one knows what he might be up to. There doesn't seem to be any major money deals going on, and no dangerous weapons of any kind have been stolen, and there doesn't seem to be any indications as to something like that happening. However, that's also one of the things we'll be looking more thoroughly into. We'll be looking into anything and everything he might be up to, as well as checking out the coordinates. Everything will be checked over and over again, until we're sure that it's not a threat. That might take days, but no one is sent to those coordinates until we're sure that there isn't any danger involved." They all nodded.

"The coordinates so far show that Sloane is in a forest in Russia." Everyone looked curiously at Kendall.

"Why would Sloane be hiding in a forest and in Russia?"

"We don't know. The first few scans of the area, he's supposedly in, show that there isn't anything at the coordinates we've been given. It's nothing but a forest, which is why we have to check and check and check, until there's nothing left to check." He looked at Irina. "But because it's in Russia, Irina you, Marshall, and Carrie will be looking into the coordinates. We want to see if you might know of the place and what might be in the area." She nodded.

"Of course."

"We also want the three of you to see if the coordinates might be a code or something instead of coordinates. Think of every possibility it might be and check everything." The three of them nodded.

"Sydney and Nadia, you two will see if any kind of weapon is in development or being transferred, and if there's been a breech of protocol or burglary at any weapons' manufactures." They nodded. "Vaughn and Eric, you will look into if any major money deals are about to go down or if there's anything valuable that's being transferred anywhere. Anything that involves money is your area." They nodded.

"Marcus, Kendall, and I will be calling around within the country and abroad to gather any information we can from the CIA and other intelligent agencies around the world. We'll be coming around to you throughout the day to see if there's any progress, but if you find anything suspiciously, report to us immediately. We'll all get together later in the day to discuss our findings. That's it. Get to work." They all gave a final nod before going off in separate directions to work on the task given to them.

* * *

In the late afternoon everyone gathered in the meeting room to discuss what they'd found out. Jack, Dixon, and Kendall had been around to everyone a few times since everyone were in the meeting room in the morning, but each time there was nothing to report.

Jack looked at Irina, Marshall, and Carrie.

"What have you found out?"

"Nothing. The coordinates seem to be what they are; coordinates. We've checked every possibility, but can't find that it's anything but coordinates."

"It also seems to be nothing but a forest. It's a huge forest and I don't think there's anything but forest there. I can't remember ever hearing about it being used for anything. The coordinates place Sloane in the middle of the forest, which makes no sense."

"And what's makes it even more strange, is that nothing shows up on the satellite pictures we have of the area. However, only a few minutes ago, I noticed that it almost seems like the satellite signal is blocked." Jack looked curiously at Marshall.

"What do you mean blocked?"

"Well, everything seems like it should be and that the satellite is transmitting as it should, but still something seems a little off somehow." Everyone but Irina and Carrie, who'd worked with Marshall throughout the day, looked at Marshall a little curiously. He shrugged a little. "I'm sorry, but I don't know quite how to explain or even tell you how it seems to be off. But the best way to explain it, so that it makes a little sense, is that there's a very tiny fluctuation that makes it seem like something is a little off. That's why I think that the signal could be blocked. But it could also just be that the satellite isn't that good." Jack nodded.

"Is there a chance of you finding out more on this, or is this it?"

"I've tried everything I could think of to check whether it's blocked or not, and I've checked over and over again. But I can go back and check again right now." Jack shook his head.

"It might not be necessary today." He turned his attention to Sydney and Nadia. "You said a short while ago that you hadn't found anything suspicious. Is that still the case?"

"Yes, we haven't found anything out of the ordinary."

"We've concentrated on checking out the major weapons' manufactures, and every country or facility that deals with dangerous weapons, but so far nothing seems off. We did also check out a little on minor weapon's manufactures, but nothing there seems off either. Though, we still have some ground to cover." He nodded and looked at Vaughn and Eric.

"And you?" They both shook their heads.

"Nothing, Jack. Absolutely nothing."

"We haven't found trace of any major money deals going down or anything else that has a high value that Sloane might be interested in. There are still a few minor things we haven't checked, but so far we have got absolutely nothing."

"The three of us haven't found out anything out of the ordinary either. We called around, but no one seems to be able to think that there's anything about to go down that Sloane could have an interest in."

"So, what now?"

"We'll all get in touch with Langley now, and we'll explain our findings. They'll check out our findings and monitor everything. You'll also explain your findings to a bunch of agents here, who'll then monitor everything throughout the night. Tomorrow we'll come back in and start where we left off today." Jack looked at Marshall. "Marshall, I want you to think about other possibilities of finding out whether the satellite is blocked or not. But all I want you to do is think about it. I want you rested and ready to work tomorrow, so don't lose any sleep over it or stay up all night working. Only if you figure something out and run a test that shows something out of the ordinary are you to work on it, and then contact me." Marshall nodded.

"Yes, I understand."

"Good. Let's call Langley."

Everything was explained to Langley and to the agents, who'd be monitoring everything at APO. An hour and a half later Jack, Irina, Sydney, Nadia, Vaughn, Eric, Marshall, Carrie, Dixon, and Kendall went home. Although the matter was very sensitive and they were the best to put on the case since it concerned Sloane, they couldn't be working all day and night on the matter. They needed rest, so that they could be rested for working on the case again the following day. There was also no rush to get things settle. Rushing things could end up being fatal in the end. If it took weeks to be absolutely sure that there was no danger in sending a team to Sloane's supposed whereabouts, then that was just the time it would have to take.

* * *

Later in the evening Jack and Irina were getting ready for bed. Jack had been on the phone for most of the evening with Devlin and Langley after the triplets had gone to bed, so he and Irina hadn't talked much about the day's events. He sat on the bed as Irina got out of the bathroom and was getting ready for bed.

"Devlin asked me if I'd be willing to be part of a team to check out Sloane's whereabouts, if there turns out to be no danger involved." Irina looked at him and nodded.

"What did you say?"

"I said, I'd do it." She nodded, finished putting her pajamas on and went and sat on the bed next to Jack.

"What are Devlin's plans, if there turns out to be no danger anywhere?"

"He wants to send in a small team that can investigate the area and the exact location for the coordinates. At first he just wants the team to check the place out. If Sloane is spotted there, the team will contact Langley or APO, to wait for further instructions. If the team is sure that there isn't any danger and that they can take out Sloane on their own, then they're granted permission to take him out. If they can see that it'll be dangerous to take him out in case the place is trapped with explosives, or that he has a whole army of bodyguards, the team is supposed to wait for a bigger team to arrive that can help capture Sloane." She nodded.

"You said Devlin said a small team would go in. How many members would that team consist of?"

"Devlin suggested a team of about five, and he also suggested that you be part of it. We know that you have no real knowledge of the forest, but in case you somehow remember something about the place, he feels it would be best to have you be a part of the team." She nodded.

"Whether he feels it'd be a good idea or not, I would still want to be part of the team. I want Sloane caught and brought in. He's been free for too long." Jack took her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze.

"I want him caught too, and I believe he will someday. I don't know if there's any truth to his supposed whereabouts, but I do believe we will catch him one day." He gave her a small smile and gave her hand a kiss. She returned the small smile.

"I believe that too. So, since the two of us would be part of the team, do you have any other suggestions as to the other members?"

"When it comes to Sloane, I only want someone on the team that I can absolutely trust. I don't want someone from outside of APO. I know Devlin said a team of about five, but I thought that Sydney, Nadia, Vaughn, and Eric could be the last members, if they want to." She nodded. "Everyone wants Sloane caught more than anything, but I just think that the team would work best if it was the six of us."

"I agree, and when it comes to Sloane, Sydney, Nadia, Vaughn, and Eric would want to be part of that team. I don't think they'd say no to that. Marcus would also be a great member to the team, but we also need a bunch of strong people at home monitoring the situation."

"Yes, exactly. We can talk it over with the girls and Vaughn and Eric tomorrow. We still have a lot of things to check out, so it wouldn't be until a few days from now that we would know how to proceed or even longer. But we might as well get ready." She nodded. "We should get some sleep. We need to be at the top of our game tomorrow." She nodded.

"Yes, we should." He stroked her cheek with his free hand and looked into her eyes.

"We'll catch him. I promise you that." She smiled and he brought his lips to hers and kissed her.

"I know." They got under the covers and snuggled together. When they were comfortable Jack rubbed circles on Irina's back until he could hear that she was sleeping. He kissed her forehead and after a few minutes of listening to her breathing, he fell asleep too.

* * *

Three days later nothing had changed. Everything they'd tried had turned out the same each time. They couldn't see that there were any huge threats in process concerning weapons or any major deals going down involving money.

"According to Langley's observations of the satellite they believe that the small fluctuation is because the satellite isn't that good." He looked at Marshall. "What do your observations tell you Marshall?"

"I've tried everything, but the fluctuation stays the same, which indicates that it's a bad satellite. But still I can't be absolutely sure. I mean, this is Sloane we're talking about. He could have a compound there or something, and then have really high security that blocks the satellite to almost perfection. But at the same time, it could still just be a way to get you out of the way, and that he's sending you to a place where the satellite just happens to be really bad." He looked at them a little nervously. "I'm sorry, I can't be more specific." Jack nodded back at him.

"You've done your best and that's all we can ask for." Marshall smiled a little. "Marcus, Kendall, and I have been over the same possibilities with Langley that Marshall just talked about. Their conclusion is that we send in a small team to investigate the location of the exact coordinates. As you all know Irina, Sydney, Nadia, Vaughn, Eric, and I have decided to go, but I need to know that you're all still onboard with going on this mission." He looked around the five of them and they all nodded. "Good. Then we need to get on the phone with Langley and make the final plans for the mission."

* * *

Two days later in the early morning Jack, Irina, Sydney, Nadia, Vaughn, and Eric were on a helicopter, shortly approaching their drop point. They'd flown from LA to the nearest airport from the forest. From there they were being flown by helicopter to the edge of the forest. The only way of getting to the exact location for the coordinates was to walk on foot. The walk to the exact location would take more than a day, so they would have to camp in the forest during the night.

At APO Dixon, Kendall, Marshall, and Carrie would be monitoring the situation. They'd be on the phone with Langley at the same time, and keeping an eye on the satellite in case something showed up. If Sloane turned out to be at the location, a bigger team would be on standby, and ready to leave to capture him, in case he had an army of bodyguards to protect him.

Fifteen minutes later the helicopter landed and they got out. Jack spoke briefly with the pilot, before getting in touch with APO. In the meantime the rest of them got the gear out of the helicopter.

"Unite One to Base Camp."

"_Base Camp here. Go ahead Unite One."_

"We've landed and are ready to proceed as scheduled. Any news on the satellite readings, or anything else?"

"_No, nothing has changed. You're clear to proceed as scheduled."_

"Good. Let us know if anything shows up."

"_Yes, of course. Good luck."_

"Thanks. Unite One out."

He went over to the others.

"Is everything as it should be?" Jack nodded.

"Yes, nothing has changed, so we're clear to proceed. Are you all ready?" Everyone nodded. "Good. Let's go."

They had walked and walked, only taken a few breaks. They'd stopped for a short time, while eating lunch, and only really stopped when nature called. They hadn't done a lot of talking either. It wasn't exactly a family outing they were on, so it seemed unnatural to talk about things they'd normally talk about when they were together privately or even during the breaks at work. But they also kept quiet in case the forest wasn't as isolated as it seemed.

In the late afternoon they were near a creek and Jack stopped them.

"Before we know of it, it'll be dark, so we need to set up camp now. We can't find our way around the dark anyway, and we're near a creek here. I don't think we'll find a more suitable place. We have everything we need here to build shelter for the night." They all nodded. "I'll let APO know. The rest of you can start looking for branches and what else we might need to build shelter and build a fire." They proceeded and Jack got in touch with APO. "Unite One to Base Camp."

"_Base Camp here. Go ahead Unite One."_

"We're settling in for the night. Anything we need to worry about?"

"_No everything looked the same as the last time we spoke."_

"Good. Keep us posted. We'll be moving out of here at 6.00 a.m. You've got our coordinates?"

"_Yes, your current whereabouts are showing up on the screen."_

"Then I don't think there's anything left for us to discuss."

"_No, we have nothing of importance at our end. Stay safe."_

"We will. Unite One out." When he ended the conversation he went over to help the others. Irina looked at him.

"Any news from APO?" He shook his head.

"No they have nothing looking out of the ordinary. They'll get in touch with us if anything changes." She nodded and they helped the other making camp and getting dinner ready.

Dinner was uneventful. They didn't hear anything other than the ordinary sounds from a forest, and they still kept talking to a minimum in case the forest wasn't as isolated as it seemed. But each of them, were also deep in thought about the mission and the possibility of finally catching Sloane. All of them were still unsure about the sudden revelation of Sloane's whereabouts, and even more since the source of the information was still unknown. But none of them wanted to pass up the opportunity of possibly catching Sloane.

After they'd eaten and had some coffee, Sydney looked at her father.

"Who's taking the first watch?" He looked back at her.

"You and I are." She nodded and he looked at Irina. "After our watch ends you and Eric will take the next one." She nodded too, and he looked at Nadia. "You and Vaughn will take the last one." She also nodded. "It's been a long day and it'll be a long day tomorrow too, so you should turn in. We'll keep watch a few feet away from the camp." They all nodded.

Nadia and Eric got ready to turn in, while Sydney gave Vaughn a kiss before he turned in too. She said a quick goodnight to everyone before taking her rifle and walking off to the place she and Jack would be keeping watch from. Irina smiled at Jack before giving him a kiss. He smiled back and left to join Sydney.

* * *

After about an hour Sydney looked at her father. She kept her voice to a whisper so she wouldn't wake the others.

"Dad, do you think Sloane is here?" He looked at her and then shook his head slightly.

"No, I don't think he is. I hope he is, but I don't think so." She nodded. "It just doesn't make sense for him to hide in the middle of a forest in Russia. I would think that he would want to hide in a place where the climate is a little warmer all year. But I really hope he's there, because he's been on the run long enough, and it's about time he's locked up for everything he's ever done." Sydney nodded and looked at the rest of the team. Jack looked at her. "Do you think he's there?" She looked back at him.

"No, not really. I think he would hide out somewhere warmer too. But like you, I really want him to be there. I want him locked up for everything he's ever done. He's hurt far too many people, and it's about time he pays for that." She took a breath and relaxed. Jack had a feeling she was not only referring to the people living now, but that she also thought about Francie, Danny, and Diane. He gave her a small smile.

"Whether he's there or not, we'll get him one day. I'm sure of it." She smiled back and nodded.

"I hope that day is tomorrow."

"Me too."

* * *

The next morning they contacted APO before heading off to the location to make sure everything was still alright. Nothing had changed. At nearly 1.00 p.m. they were only about thirty minutes from the exact location and Jack got in touch with APO again while they continued to walk.

"Unite One to Base Camp."

"_Base Camp here. Go ahead Unite One."_

"We're a couple of minutes from our first destination. Are there any irregularities?"

"_No everything looks fine. You're clear to proc…."_

"Base Camp you're breaking up. I didn't copy."

"_Unite O…..not……hold……Unit…"_

"Base Camp you're still breaking up." He didn't get a reply. "Base Camp do you copy? Base Camp?" Everyone stopped and looked at Jack.

"Dad, what's wrong?"

"We lost them." They looked at him concerned.

"You think there's something to Marshall's theory?"

"Probably. I was in contact with them before. Are you're intercoms working?" They all tried them out.

"No, none of them are working."

"Okay, I'll just go back a few steps to see if I can get in touch with them." He walked a few steps in the direction he came from and the rest of them followed.

"_Unite One, are you there?"_

"Yes, Base Camp, we're here. I walked back a little and the signal returned."

"_We lost you on the monitor too. We think the satellite must be blocked."_

"Yes, that's what we thought too. Our intercoms don't work either. Any instructions on how to proceed?" After a few moments of silence they could hear Kendall's voice again.

"_It's your call. If you decide to proceed you'll have no protection from here or from each other, if you decide to split up, which was the plan. We won't be able to alert you of any danger. You could be making a huge risk if you choose to proceed."_ Everyone had heard what Kendall had said, and after a few seconds they all nodded at Jack. He nodded at them in return.

"We didn't come all this way to go home empty handed. We're this close to knowing if Sloane's here or not. We'll proceed as planned. If you haven't heard from us in six hours, send in a team."

"_We will. Be careful and don't take any risks. Good luck__, Unite One."_

"That's a given. Unite One out." Jack looked around at everyone. "The plan is pretty much the same as before. Sydney, Nadia, and I will go around one way, and the rest of you will go around the other way. Instead of keeping in touch over intercoms, we'll meet back here in two and a half hours. It'll take an hour to get back and forth to this place, which leave us an hour and a half to stake out the location. When we meet back here, we'll swap information and figure out our next move. If there's nothing there, we pack up and go home. If there's something there, we discuss our next move. Any questions?" They all shook their heads. "Then let's go." Sydney and Vaughn stepped away from the rest to say a quick goodbye to each other and Nadia and Eric did the same. Irina took Jack's face in her hands.

"Be careful, sweetheart." She smiled and kissed him. He smiled back.

"You too. Remember not to make any moves, even if you've got Sloane in sight. We need to have the whole team in on his capture, if he's here alone."

"The same goes for you." He nodded and they gave each other a quick kiss before joining the others. Sydney and Nadia gave their mother a quick hug before going off in one direction with their father.

* * *

Thirty minutes later Jack, Sydney, and Nadia noticed a cabin in the forest. They looked at each other and moved closer to get a better look. They looked with binoculars, but couldn't see anyone. They got up and moved further as silently as they could. But soon the silence was broken.

"Dad."

Nadia yelled a little as Sydney went down before her eyes. Having been walking in front with his daughters behind him, Jack turned around in time to see Nadia getting shot, and falling down. He turned in the direction from where the gun was being fired, but before he could raise his rifle to shoot, he too was shot and his world went dark.

* * *

In the meantime, Irina, Vaughn, and Eric had spotted the cabin too, from the other side. They went as close as they could get while still keeping a safe distance. They looked through their binoculars, but couldn't see Sloane anywhere or anyone else for that matter. They hadn't been able to see Jack, Sydney, and Nadia getting shot. The cabin had blocked their view.

After an hour and a half with no result Eric moved over to Irina.

"Time's up. We should be heading back." She didn't say anything. "Irina, did you hear me? Irina?" She looked back at Eric.

"Yeah, I heard you. Yes, you're right. We should move." He looked at her a little concerned.

"Are you alright?"

"Yes, I'm fine. I just have an odd feeling about this place."

"What do you mean odd? Do you recognize the place?"

"I'm not sure. But it seems to me that there's something about the place."

"Maybe it'll come to you when we head back."

"Yeah, maybe." She took another look at the cabin before getting up. "Let's go."

* * *

When they got back they couldn't see the others anywhere. They looked around a little bit, and then looked at each other a little worried.

"They should be back by now. It's not like any of them to be late."

"I'm sure they're on their way back and just lost track of the time a little."

"Irina, Jack was the one, who said when we were supposed to meet back here. It's highly unlikely that he's late."

"I agree with Vaughn. It's not like them to be late."

"I know, but maybe they just are this time. We'll wait a little while before we jump to any conclusions." They nodded and sat down on the ground.

However, they hadn't been sitting for long. When Jack, Sydney, and Nadia hadn't returned after five minutes they all started to pace a little. Thirty minutes later Vaughn ran a hand over his head.

"It's been thirty minutes now. They can't be lost. Something clearly happened. We need to go back and look for them." He and Eric both reached for their rifles.

"We're not all going. I'm going alone." They looked at Irina a little wide eyed.

"You can't be serious."

"Three people are better than one."

"Under normal circumstances, yes. But we're not under normal circumstances. We don't have any radio contact with APO, so if all three of us go to the cabin, who's going to get in touch with APO, if we're all caught?" They nodded. "It's best that I go alone."

"Two of us can go. Two are better than one."

"Not in case something goes wrong and someone comes after you. You'll have a better fighting chance if there are two of you here. And if not both of you, then maybe one of you will be able to make it out of here alive." Vaughn and Eric looked at each other, not really liking Irina's idea, though it did make sense. "Look, I told you that I felt like there was something odd about the cabin. I'm the best candidate to go back there. I might be able to remember something and if I do, and there's a threat, I'll come straight back and we'll contact APO."

"Why don't we just contact them right now?"

"There's no reason for them to come charging, if it's not necessary. It'll also take a long time before they get here, so it's best to have a closer look at the place again, before jumping to any conclusions." They looked at each other again, still not liking the situation. "I understand your concern, but Jack put me in charge of this team of ours, so I make the call. I'm going alone." They nodded.

"So, when should we contact APO?"

"The same time as previously agreed upon. With getting back and forth, I have two hours to stake out the cabin. I'll see how close I can get, which might take a little while longer. So don't contact APO until three hours from now. Only if you can see anyone unfamiliar approaching are you to contact APO. If that happens, hide first and only shoot back if you're fired upon." They nodded.

"Good luck."

"Be careful."

"I will. I'll see you soon."

A little over half an hour later, Irina had made her way to the cabin. She still had an odd feeling about the place. She looked through her binoculars, and when she couldn't spot anyone, she moved closer to the cabin. She noticed a name carved in a tree. Staring a little wide eyed at the name the memories came back to her. She shook her head slightly and walked closer to the cabin.

* * *

In the basement of the cabin Jack, Sydney, and Nadia were each tied to a chair. They slowly started coming to after being shot with a tranq dart. They were all three blurry eyed, and could only make out the shape of an elderly man walking towards them. He gave them all smelling salt and in a matter of seconds, they were fully awake. They looked around, all relieved to see each other alive. Then they looked to the man in front of them. He was an old man, not someone they'd ever seen before. They eyed him, and he eyed them before speaking to them. He spoke in English, but with a heavy Russian accent.

"I assume you're English speakers, because I heard the word 'dad'. But the question is, who are you?" They all kept silent. "I ask you again. Who are you?" He walked closer to Jack and leaned closer to his face. "What are you doing on my property? How did you know about this place?" Jack was giving him his Bristow death glare.

"You have us tied up, so why don't you tell us who you are." The man glared back at him.

"You're on my property, so I'll ask the questions." Jack kept glaring at the old man. "Fine, you don't wish to talk. Maybe the women will." He moved closer to Sydney and Nadia and looked between them. He narrowed his eyes a little and looked at them more closely. They both stared back at him, and after a few moments of silence, Sydney spoke to him angrily.

"What? What are you looking at?" He glared at her and at Nadia too. Then he smiled a little.

"You remind me of someone."

"Would that someone be me?" They all looked in the direction of the stairs that let to the basement and saw Irina standing there leaning casual on the wall with her arms crossed. The old man looked at her in disbelief, but then smiled broadly at her.

"Irina, my dear, it's been too long."

**TBC**


	11. Chapter 11

**SofiaBlackBristow:** I'm very flattered and honored that you keep saying it, so I definitely don't mind. *lol* Thank you. *blush* Oh wow thank you so much for saying that. *blush* You truly are much too kind. Yeah, I really would've loved for a happy ending for Jack and Irina on the show. But as you say there's always fan fiction. *lol* Thank you again. Kiss to you too. :-)

* * *

**Chapter 11**

Jack, Sydney, and Nadia took a quick look at each other and then returned their attention back to Irina and the old man. They didn't know what to make of the situation. Irina started to smile broader and when the old man opened his arms to her, she went to him, gave him a kiss on the cheek and hugged him tightly.

"It's good to see you too, uncle Dmitri."

Jack, Sydney, and Nadia stared wide eyed at Irina and the man she'd just called 'uncle'. They then looked at each other again, staring wide eyed, before going back to staring wide eyed at Irina and her uncle again. Irina and Dmitri smiled at each other.

"What are you doing here, child? How did you find me?"

"What am I doing here? What are you doing here? I thought you were dead." He laughed throatily.

"Me dead? No, don't be silly. I'm a very young man, so I couldn't possibly be dead." She cocked an eyebrow at him and looked at him amused.

"Young? Uncle, you're not young." He cocked his eyebrow at her, and gave her a stern look.

"Don't disagree with me, child. If I say I'm young, then I'm young." She rolled her eyes at him and smiled again.

"Well, regardless, you look great and very well."

"Of course I do. I'm in perfect health." She laughed a little before hugging him again.

"It really is great to see you again."

"You too, child." Jack, Sydney, and Nadia, had all kept quiet and stared in disbelief. Sydney was the first one to speak.

"Um, mom? While we're all thrilled that you and your uncle have found each other, there's still the matter of the three of us being tied up. Could we be released now?" Dmitri looked from Irina to Sydney and Nadia. He smiled and looked at Irina.

"Mom?" She smiled back and nodded at him. "Well, I thought they resembled you very much. Are you going to introduce me or not?" She nodded and pointed at Sydney.

"That's Sydney, my oldest." Dmitri smiled at her and Irina then pointed at Nadia. "And that's my second oldest, Nadia." Dmitri looked at Irina, surprised for a second, before looking at Nadia again, smiling. He then looked at Jack and gave him a glare.

"Who's that?" Irina smiled warmly at Jack.

"That's my husband. That's Jack." Dmitri looked at back at Irina surprised, and then he narrowed his eyes a little.

"Jack? As in Jack Bristow, the man you were supposed go to America to marry and steal secrets from? The CIA agent?" She nodded and kept smiling at Jack.

"The one and only."

"And he's your husband now?" Irina looked at Dmitri.

"Yes, for the last five years almost. Well, actually we've been legally married since we got married the first time, but this year on our original wedding day, it'll be five years ago since we renewed our vows."

He walked over to Jack. He studied him carefully for while. Jack smiled but all Dmitri did, was stare at him. He was just about to speak, when Dmitri turned his attention away from Jack and looked at Sydney and Nadia.

"You girls are lucky that you take after your mother and not your father." They stared a little at Dmitri, while both Jack and Irina rolled their eyes. Dmitri turned his attention back to Irina. "You can't actually be serious, Irina. You actually married him again? Him?" She rolled her eyes at her uncle again, and Jack glared at him. "Child, you could do so much better." Irina cocked an eyebrow at him and gave him an annoyed look.

"No I couldn't. He's the man I love, the only man I've ever loved, and the only man I'll ever love. I couldn't possibly want anyone else. We've put the past behind us, and I was given a pardoning agreement by the CIA five years ago, which was largely Jack's doing." He gave her a half of a stern glare.

"The CIA? They pardoned you?"

"Yes."

"What did you have to do in return? Sell your soul?" She rolled her eyes at him.

"No, I had to become an agent." He gaped a little and then looked at her more sternly.

"You're an agent with the CIA?"

"Yes."

"How could you, child? That's the same thing as selling your soul." Now she got a little annoyed with him.

"What do you mean, how could I? I didn't have a choice. I was given a chance to be free, no longer live in hiding, and I could be with my family. I wasn't about to pass up an opportunity like that. I would've done just about anything they'd asked of me in order to get that pardoning agreement. But I'm glad that I was able to become an agent, because I get to be with my family when I'm at work too, and put my skills to use." He shook his head.

"Fine, fine. But this really doesn't do anything for our family name." She shook her head at him.

"It bothers you that I'm actually involved with something legal?" He didn't really want to admit it, so he just shrugged his shoulders a little. But Irina could tell that, that was what was bothering him a little. She shook her head in disbelief. "Not every Derevko is a criminal. And you don't have to worry about the name. I'm Irina Bristow, both in and out of the office." He stared a little at her and was a little annoyed.

"You're not even using your own name?" She shook her head. "Don't you have any pride?" She looked at him annoyed.

"Yes, I do. For example, I'm very proud to be my husband's wife." Jack smiled proudly and smirked when he received an annoyed glare from Dmitri. "His name is also one to be feared in our line of work."

"I guess you won't like it that Katya is also working for the CIA?" Dmitri stared at Sydney and then looked at Irina.

"Katya's is a CIA agent too?"

"No, she's not really an agent, but she does work for the CIA with various assignments whenever she's needed." He rolled his eyes.

"That doesn't exactly make it better. Why did she join? She never wanted that kind of life."

"She had no choice. She had gotten herself in trouble with a dangerous illegal organization, and the only way for her to be safe was to get caught by the CIA. So, she put a gun with blank bullets to Sydney's head, and was locked up. No one would be able to harm her in prison. The CIA didn't take too kindly of her doing that to one of their agents, so she could only be free if she agreed to a pardoning agreement, which meant that she worked for the CIA for five years. Well, there were other things involved that benefited her pardoning agreement, but she couldn't get out unless she agreed to the terms."

"I can't believe she'd agree to that easily."

"She didn't. It took a while, but she's happy about her life now." He nodded.

"Well as long as she's happy. She deserves happiness." Irina nodded and she and Dmitri smiled at each other. Then Dmitri looked at Irina a little curiously. She saw the look on his face.

"What is it, uncle?"

"It was just something you said. You introduced Nadia as your second oldest child. Why would you simply not refer to her as your youngest child?"

"Because, she's not." He stared at her surprised.

"You have more children?"

"Yes, Jack and I have eight-year-old triplets." She smiled but all Dmitri did, was stare.

"Eight years old? You have eight-year-old triplets at your age?" Sydney and Nadia tried their best not to laugh while Irina and Jack rolled their eyes. "Irina, you're old." She gaped at him, while Sydney and Nadia laughed a little more. Nadia shook her head after she'd finished laughing.

"Wait, didn't you just tell mom that you were not old, when she told you that you were? So, how can you think mom is old, when you won't admit that you are? You're older than her." He looked at Nadia.

"Hush, child. This is not something you can understand." Irina rolled her eyes and shook her head.

"Don't talk to my daughter that way when she's right." He gave Irina an annoyed look and without any warning he slapped Jack over the head.

"Ow. What the hell was that for?" Jack was annoyed too.

"That's for getting my niece pregnant at her age. You're not exactly young either." With that Jack got another slap on the head.

"Ow. Stop that." Dmitri looked at Irina.

"This is the man, whose name you took? A man, who can't even handle being slapped around a little? He's a sissy. I hope none of your children take after him." Everyone rolled their eyes at him. Jack shook his head annoyed.

"Well, this has been fun and all. But now that you know who we are, you can let us go. I think we've been tied up here long enough."

Dmitri looked at Jack for a while before swiftly taking out a knife that he had hidden on his back. He went over to Sydney and cut her ropes. He waited for her to get free, and before she could react, he engulfed her in a big hug. He then kissed her cheeks and her forehead.

"It's good to finally meet you, Sydney." She smiled back at him.

"It's good to meet you too, Dmitri."

"No, no, no, no, no, child." He shook his head and then smiled. "I'm family. You call me uncle Dmitri. I won't have it any other way." She smiled and nodded.

"Okay. Uncle Dmitri." He smiled warmly at her and hugged her again before moving on to Nadia. After undoing her ropes he hugged her tightly too, and kissed her on her cheeks and on her forehead.

"It's good to finally meet you too, Nadia." She smiled back.

"You too, uncle Dmitri." He smiled at her even more and gave her another hug.

"Now the three of you go upstairs and make yourselves some tea or coffee. There's also a cake and fruit. Make yourselves at home." Irina cocked an eyebrow at him.

"Aren't you forgetting something?" He looked at her a little curiously. "You haven't untied Jack yet."

"I know and I'm not going to." She was about to speak, but he held his hand up. "Child, I'm the oldest member of the Derevko family, and therefore I have certain rights. Now, because of the reasons you and this sissy got married in the first place, your father never had the chance to interrogate him."

"Interrogate him?"

"Yes. It's a father's right to ask his daughter's future husband some questions. Since your father never had the chance to do that with this guy, I'm stepping in for my brother."

"Well, he's already my husband, so you can just untie him now." She took a step closer, but Dmitri held up his hand again.

"Your father would have wanted to know of his intentions for you. He would want to know if he was going to do right by you." She shook her head in disbelief.

"I appreciate you looking out for me, uncle, but I think it's a bit late for asking Jack question regarding his intentions for me. I assure you he has nothing but good intentions for me, and has had nothing but good intentions for me for the past five years. Just let him go."

"No, Irina. Your father would have wanted this, and I don't think you want to go against your father's wishes. This is also my house, and I make the decisions." She looked at him shaking his head, but then finally nodded.

"Fine, have it your way." Jack, Sydney, and Nadia stared a little wide eyed, when Irina agreed to have Dmitri talk to Jack alone. She took a step closer, but once again Dmitri held his hand up.

"What are you doing, child?"

"I'm just going to kiss my husband. I was worried that something happened when he and our girls didn't show up, when we were supposed to meet, so I just want to give him a kiss. Don't worry, I won't untie him. Why don't you just take the girls upstairs, so that I can have a little time alone with Jack?" He eyed her skeptically and she rolled her eyes at him. "I'm not going to untie him. Will you just get upstairs?" He nodded.

"Fine, very well. I'll leave you alone for a little while, but not for too long." She rolled her eyes at him, and he walked over to Sydney and Nadia. "Come along, children. Your parents wish to have some privacy." They looked at Dmitri, then at their father, and then at their mother, who nodded. Seeing they had no choice, they started to leave with Dmitri, but Irina stopped them.

"Wait a minute." They turned around. "The reason why we're here is because we're on a mission. We thought someone else might've been here, so we have two more members of our team waiting thirty minutes away from here. We need to get them and we also need to contact the CIA." Dmitri cocked an eyebrow not liking what he heard.

"Why do you need to contact the CIA?"

"We need to tell them that coming here was a false alarm. We won't tell them anything about you, if that's what you're worried about. We'll simply tell them that at first glance it seems like there's nothing dangerous here, but that we'll stick around for a while to take a closer look."

She looked at Jack and he nodded, agreeing to the cover story. Dixon, Kendall, Marshall, and Carrie would eventually know who they'd met, but it would be off the record. Dmitri thought about it for a moment and then nodded.

"I guess if that's the only way, I can't really argue. Fine, fine, do what you have to."

"One more thing. We had a problem with getting a signal through to LA. We lost communication with them around the area where our other two members are. I assume you've jammed the signal."

"Yes, of course. I don't want anyone to know where I am. And if people can't get in radio contact with each other within thirty minutes of my cabin, they won't come any closer." She nodded.

"We need the signal up and running, so that we can contact our office." He gave her a stern look.

"Absolutely not. That is not happening." She rolled her eyes at him.

"Uncle, you might be a criminal, but you were always very discreet when working, so I'm positive no one is looking for you. We didn't notice anyone else in the forest, and it's very isolated, so I'm sure no one will be coming around these parts while we're here." He shook his head.

"Maybe not, but I still don't like it."

"Then how about just letting us communicate with our team back home once in a while? That won't do any harm." She looked back at Jack again, and he nodded. Dmitri considered and then nodded.

"I think I can agree to that."

"Good. Why don't you show the girls how we're able to get through to our team at home, and they can show me after I'm done talking to Jack. Then they can go and bring our team members back here, and we can get in touch with the team back home when they get here." He nodded.

"I have two dirt bikes outside that they can use to get back and forth. That way it won't take that long." Sydney and Nadia looked at him surprised.

"You have dirt bikes?" He nodded.

"Yes, of course I do. I told you I'm in perfect health." Irina shook her head laughing a little bit. "Okay, enough chit chat. Let's go upstairs." Once they were gone, Jack looked at Irina a little worried.

"You're not actually going to leave me alone down here with him, are you?" She looked at him amused.

"You're not scared, are you, Jack?"

"No, not really scared, but he's not really pleasant. And, well…" She eyed him and cocked an eyebrow at him.

"It's because he's a Derevko, isn't it?" He smiled a little and let out a little laugh.

"Well, there's that." She laughed a little too.

"Not all Derevkos are bad, Jack. Yes, I've had my fair share of moments, and so has Katya, but we've both changed." He nodded and smiled at her. "And there's Sergei. He's always been on the right side of the law, if you don't count the fact that he was at one point living with a wanted terrorist." They laughed a little and she kissed him. "Don't worry about uncle Dmitri. He won't hurt you." He rolled his eyes.

"How can you be so sure of that?"

"Because he knows that if he hurts you, I'll kill him." She smiled and he laughed a little.

"Good to know." He leaned closer and she closed the distance between their lips. They were still kissing when Dmitri came back down. He quickly went over to them and pulled them apart.

"Hey. There was no reason to do that."

"You're an old, grown woman Irina, not a horny teenager. There's no reason to act like that and kiss like that."

"Well, I'm sorry, uncle, but that's what Jack and I do." She winked at Jack and he smiled back at her. Dmitri rolled his eyes.

"Well, you won't be doing that for a while. Now get upstairs and leave us alone. Don't come down here until I tell you to."

She was about to go over to Jack to give him another kiss, but Dmitri stood in her way and wouldn't let her pass. She shook her head at him and then smiled lovingly at Jack.

"See you later, sweetheart."

"Yeah, bye." Dmitri shook his head at them and waited for Irina to leave. Once she had, he turned his attention to Jack.

"Now, Jack. Let's talk."

* * *

A while later Vaughn and Eric were pacing. They'd done nothing but that since Irina left. All of sudden they heard dirt bikes approaching. They looked at each other and quickly got into hiding. Vaughn got his rifle ready while Eric got the binoculars, trying to see where they were coming from.

"Do you have them insight?"

"Yes, I can see some colors in the distance. Hang on they're getting closer. And our company is…." He took the binoculars down and looked in disbelief. Vaughn noticed what he was doing and looked at him curiously.

"Weiss, what is it?"

"It's Nadia and Sydney."

"What?"

"Take a look for yourself." He handed Vaughn the binoculars. After he'd had a look, he looked at Eric in disbelief. Eric just shrugged in return. "I guess we'll know in a minute what's going on."

They got out of their hiding, since they couldn't see anyone trailing Sydney and Nadia. A few moments later they stopped their dirt bikes in front of Vaughn and Eric, who immediately hugged them once they got off the bikes.

"Are you alright? What happened since you didn't get back?" Vaughn looked Sydney over to see if she was alright and Eric did the same with Nadia.

"What about you? Are you alright? And where are your parents?" Nadia kissed Eric to calm him down and Sydney did the same with Vaughn.

"Dad, Sydney, and I were shot with tranq darts, and when we woke up again, we were each tied to a chair in the basement of the cabin." Eric and Vaughn stared at them in shock.

"You were what?"

"How did you get free? Did you mom rescue you?"

"In a way. We ended up being captured by her uncle."

"Wait, what? Did you just say your mom's uncle?" Sydney and Nadia both nodded.

"Yes. Apparently her uncle Dmitri is living in that cabin."

"Dmitri?" Nadia nodded at Eric. "Wasn't that the uncle, who was an expert in getting passed the tightest of securities when he stole something valuable and succeeded every time? The one, who was quite good at building different tools and gadgets? The one, who was kind of like the Marshall of his time?" She nodded again.

"Yes, the one and only."

"Wasn't he dead?" Sydney shook her head.

"No, mom only thought he was dead. So did Katya and Sergei." Vaughn and Eric both nodded, still surprised of what Sydney and Nadia had just told them.

"So, what are your parents doing right now?"

"Mom's putting on tea and coffee, and dad's being interrogated." They stared wide eyed at Sydney and Nadia.

"Interrogated?" Sydney and Nadia laughed a little.

"Yeah, apparently uncle Dmitri is quite the protecting type. He feels it's his job to ask dad what his intentions are with mom, since our grandfather never had the chance, due to the circumstances that let to mom and dad getting married the first time." Vaughn and Eric looked at Sydney and Nadia a little in disbelief. They then looked at each other and after a few seconds they laughed a little.

"Well, I'm sure Jack can appreciate that, since he's the protecting kind himself."

"It'll be good for him to be on the receiving end for a change." They laughed a little more while Sydney and Nadia shook their heads at them. Though, they ended up laughing a bit too.

"So, what about APO? We have to contact them and tell them that Sloane's not here."

"We'll do that from the cabin. Uncle Dmitri jammed the signal, because he doesn't want anyone to come near his cabin. He'll let us get in touch with APO from time to time, but the signal will be jammed at all times while we're not in touch with them."

"Isn't he being a little paranoid? I mean, I don't think anyone is looking for him, and as your mom said a long time ago, he was always very discreet. The forest is also very isolated."

"That were our thoughts too, but I don't think it's wise to argue with him."

"I think we should get back to the cabin. We can talk things over there, and we need to contact APO."

"What are we going to tell them? Are we mentioning Dmitri?"

"No, we're not. We'll be telling them something along the lines that it was false alarm coming here, but that we'll be staying for a while to check the area out."

"Good plan. Maybe your mom's uncle will have an idea of why his cabin happened to be on those coordinates for Sloane's supposed whereabouts. There might be something to it, or it could just be a coincidence."

"Yeah, we can talk to him about that, and that also leaves mom some time to spend with her uncle." They all nodded.

"Well, let's grab the gear and head back to the cabin."

* * *

When they got inside the cabin Irina had coffee, tea, cake, and fruit ready. She looked up at them when they entered and smiled.

"Hi. Right on time. I had a look around the cabin, and there are three extra bedrooms. We can contact APO now, sit down and have something to drink and eat, and then put the gear in the bedrooms." They all nodded. Vaughn and Eric were still a bit surprised by the situation.

"So, your uncle." Irina smiled at Eric.

"Yes. Quite lucky since Jack, Sydney, and Nadia were tied up when I got here."

"So how did you know that your uncle lived here?"

"When I got closer to the cabin I noticed a tree that had a name carved into it. My name. The memories then came back to me. I remembered carving the name, when I was eight, when my parents brought Katya and me here to visit our uncle. It was the only time I was here, which is why the place didn't seem familiar to me at first glance." They nodded.

"And right now Jack's being interrogated by your uncle?" She laughed a little.

"Well, not really interrogated I think. My uncle is just overprotective and also a bit old fashioned at times. He believes it's a father's right to ask his future son-in-law some questions of his intentions with his daughter. So, since my own father was never able to do that with Jack, my uncle feels it's his responsibility." Vaughn and Eric laughed a little.

"Any chance we could be in the basement and witness that?" Irina looked at them amused.

"Behave boys. If you were allowed to do that, you can only be sure that Jack would get you back later." They nodded realizing Irina was right. "Now, why don't you get yourselves something to eat and drink, and in the meantime I'll get in touch with APO." They nodded and Vaughn handed her Jack's intercom, he'd used to get in touch with APO. Sydney looked at her mother.

"We'll just bring it all into the living room." Irina nodded and went to her uncle's office, where he had hidden his control panel for switching off the jammed signal.

"Unite One to Base Camp. Are you receiving Base Camp?"

"_Base Camp he__re. Reading you loud and clear. You're showing up on the screen about 30 minutes further ahead than last we had contact with you. Did you find Sloane?"_

"No, there's nothing here. We tried out our own intercom and they worked from time to time. Don't know how long we'll be able to communicate with you. But when we need to, we'll get back to our current position."

"_Understand. So__ just to be sure, you didn't find Sloane? Is there anything on the coordinates you were given?"_

"No, nothing. There's nothing here and we didn't find Sloane. But we'll be checking out the area for a few days to make absolutely sure. We'll be in touch from time to time and to arrange time and date for our extraction."

"_Okay. Do you need us to send in a team to help you?"_

"No that won't be necessary. We can handle the situation, but will contact you if you need to send in a team."

"_Okay, let us know how your situation is whenever you can. Stay safe__, Unite One."_

"We'll be in touch. Thank you, Base Camp. Unite One out." Irina put the intercom down and jammed the signal again, before going out to join her family again.

* * *

In the basement Dmitri hadn't said anything to Jack since Irina left. He had been staring at him and Jack had been staring at Dmitri. Finally Dmitri broke the silence.

"So, you're Irina's Jack?" Jack waited a few seconds before answering.

"I believe Irina made that clear to you a little while ago."

"Do you love her?"

"What kind of question is that? We renewed our vows five years ago, after everything we've been through, so you tell me." Dmitri narrowed his eyes at Jack.

"I don't think it's wise for you to take that tone with me. You're after all tied up." Jack smirked a little in return.

"Yes, but I believe Irina said that she'd kill you if you hurt me. I think that speaks volumes of her love for me."

"Why weren't you able to come up with a pardon for her that didn't involve her working for the CIA? Is it because you're not that smart?" This time Dmitri smirked at Jack.

"No, it's not. Although there were things Irina never did in her past that the CIA thought she did, it was still not enough to get her a pardon that involved her not working for the CIA. Besides with her skills, intelligence, and knowledge it was best that she worked for the CIA. And like she said, she doesn't mind working for the CIA."

"At your home, who does the cooking and cleaning? Are you letting her do all of it?" Jack wanted to roll his eyes at the idiotic questions Dmitri was asking him.

"No, we share that work load, just like we did in the beginning of our marriage. I believe in equality in a marriage, and I'm sure you know that Irina is not the kind of woman, who'd settle for being a housewife, with only having to take care of the family and home." Dmitri gave a slight nod.

"No, I know Irina would never become a housewife like that. So what kind of husband, are you like? Are you the romantic kind? What do you do for her to make her happy?" Jack smirked.

"Since you didn't like the way we were kissing a while ago, I'm sure you don't want to hear about our bedroom activities where I know I'm making her very happy." Dmitri gave Jack a stern look, which only made Jack smirk at Dmitri even more. "If you want to know what kind of husband I am, you should probably ask Irina that question."

"You're a little hostile, Jack."

"You're one to talk." Dmitri smirked back at Jack.

"I suppose I am. But let's change that."

He walked behind Jack and went to a cupboard. Jack tried to see what Dmitri was doing, but he couldn't turn his head back that far. He heard him getting something out of the cupboard, closing it, and then returning. When he was right behind Jack, he took hold of Jack's head, put a bottle to his mouth and covered his nose, so that Jack had no other choice than to swallow the content in the bottle. After drinking a big amount, Dmitri let go and Jack was coughing and catching his breath.

"What the hell did you just give me?"

"It's my homebrew. You don't like?"

"No. It's horrible." Jack was grimacing from the taste of the alcohol.

"It's only 87 percentage of alcohol." Jack stared wide eyed at Dmitri.

"Only 87? Only?"

"I guess it's an acquired taste. Here have some more." Before Jack had any time to respond, Dmitri put the bottle to Jack's mouth again, and made it impossible for him not to swallow. When Dmitri took away the bottle Jack was coughing and gasping for air again. Dmitri laughed. "You and I are going to have a good time, Jack."

* * *

An hour later Sydney, Nadia, Vaughn, and Eric looked at Irina.

"Mom, don't you think we should check on dad?" Irina smiled at Sydney.

"Your father is alright. Uncle Dmitri won't hurt him."

"And you're absolutely sure about that?" Irina laughed a little.

"Yes sweetheart, I am. Family is important to my uncle. He knows that hurting your father will hurt me, and he doesn't want to see me get hurt, and he certainly doesn't want to be the cause of the hurt." They nodded. "Don't worry I'm sure he'll let go of your father soon, and that we'll all sit down and have a nice dinner together." They nodded and went back to playing cards.

* * *

In the meantime in the basement Dmitri had let go of Jack, and the two of them were now sitting at a table sharing stories and getting more and more, drunk. Jack was more than Dmitri from not being used to this kind of alcohol. Jack took another swig from the bottle.

"This stuff gets better and better." He laughed and Dmitri clasped him on the shoulder.

"Jack, did you ever hear about Irina's nickname when she was a child?" Jack looked at Dmitri for a few seconds without saying anything. He then smiled and his voice went up a few octaves in excitement.

"No, tell me." Dmitri laughed.

"She was called poop-head." Jack stared in disbelief for a few seconds before laughing his head off. Dmitri laughed too.

"Poop-head?" Dmitri nodded. "Oh do tell me how she got that name."

"When she was young and still in diapers, Irina had pooped in her diaper, took it off, and put it on her head." He laughed. "Her parents found her and her pooped covered head running around in the living room. They shook their heads in disbelief while Irina merely laughed." Dmitri laughed some more and Jack joined in for a while before he grimaced.

"That's disgusting." However, it didn't take Jack long to laugh his head off again. "She sure was a trouble maker from an early age." Dmitri handed Jack the bottle.

"Yes that's our Irina."

* * *

Another hour passed and Nadia looked at her watch.

"Mom, it's passed 7.00. Don't you think we should check on dad and uncle Dmitri? They've been down there for a long time, and shouldn't we also be getting dinner ready?" Irina nodded.

"Well, I checked the fridge and there are some leftovers, but only enough for one. But there's enough food to make sandwiches, so it shouldn't take too long to make dinner. But I think it's probably a good idea to check on them, even though uncle Dmitri said not to come down until he told us to." She looked around at everyone and then got up. "Come on. Let's go check on Jack and uncle Dmitri."

They went down to the basement and were shocked to find Jack and Dmitri drunk and laughing. They stared at them and when Jack and Dmitri noticed them, they smiled and Jack raised the bottle toasting them.

"Hel…hel….hello aaaallll." Jack speech was slurred and he was more drunk than an hour ago. Everyone shook their heads in disbelief. Irina moved closer. She stared at Jack and then at Dmitri. She stared wide eyed at him.

"You got him drunk?" Dmitri looked at her and laughed.

"I'm just welcoming him to the family." She shook her head and took the bottle from Jack with ease. She smelled the content and grimaced.

"You gave him your homebrew? That stuff is toxic. And no doubt that it's only gotten more toxic over the years." She put the bottle on the table and Dmitri laughed.

"This is a happy occasion. We needed something good to drink." She shook her heads and then turned to Jack when he tugged on her shirt. He was smiling lovingly at her in his drunken state.

"Hhhhhiiiiii." She couldn't help but laugh at him.

"Hi sweetheart. I think we better get you something to eat and get you some coffee." He smiled at her.

"You're ssss…sweet. You're my love, my lii…li…little lo..love muffin, mmmy cu..cup cake, my tedd…tedd….teddy be..bear, my llliittle…..poop-head." Jack laughed his head off, while Irina stopped laughing. She stiffened and looked at Dmitri shocked.

"You told him about that?" Dmitri laughed.

"Yes, I did. He needs to know about all the things from your childhood that you're not willing to share." Jack laughed his head off nodding.

"Rrriii….right." Irina looked at Dmitri angrily.

"He didn't need to know that. You had no right to tell him that." Jack poked her a little bit and she looked back at him again.

"Don't b…be angry poop-head." He laughed. "That's so fun…funny. Poop-head, poop-head, poop-head." She stared at Jack, pleading with him.

"Jack, stop it please. It's not funny."

"It iisss. Poop-head, pppooo….poop-head, poop-head."

"Jack, please stop saying that. I beg of you. Stop." Jack shook his head at her laughing.

"You're nnnnoooo fun, poop-head. Poop-head, poop-head, poop-head. I wwwill call you poop-head fr…fr…from nnn….now on. Poop-head, poop-head, poop-head." He kept laughing while she stared at him angrily now.

"Jack, stop right now. Right now."

"Nu-uh. You ca…can't tt…tell me what ttt…to do, poop-head. Poop-head, poop-head, poop-head, poop-head, poop-head, poo…." Irina's fist collided with Jack's jaw, stopping him from going on. He fell down on the floor where he kept laughing. Sydney, Nadia, Vaughn, and Eric looked at Irina in shock while Dmitri laughed.

"Now why did you do that, child? Jack was having fun. Poop-head is a funny nickname." He looked her in the eyes and laughed. "Poop-head." Irina gave him her death glare before her fist collided with his jaw. He was half knocked out of his chair and when he sat up properly again, he looked at her in disbelief. "It's just a childhood nickname, Irina. No need to get so angry."

"It's more than that to me. It's…" She shook her head. "Never mind." She walked passed him and went upstairs, leaving everyone in the basement, with Sydney, Nadia, Vaughn, and Eric still in shock. Nadia tugged on Eric's shirt.

"I think you guys better help dad up." They nodded and went over to Jack, who was still on his back on the floor laughing. They took a hold of him.

"Come on, Jack. Time to get up off the floor." They each took hold of an arm and got him up. When he got up he looked at them smiling, before he engulfed them in a big hug.

"Hello bb…boys. I've mm…missed you." Vaughn and Eric stared at each other when Jack let go of them. They then looked at Jack.

"Clearly you're drunk, Jack." Jack laughed shaking his head.

"Nnn…nonsense. I'm fine." He smiled at them. "I lloo…love you guys." He engulfed them in another hug and then spotted Sydney and Nadia, who stared wide eyed at their father. "Girls." He let go of Vaughn and Eric and went to Sydney and Nadia. Eric nudged Vaughn.

"I wish we had this on tape. No one is going to believe that Jack just told us that he loves us and that he missed us." Vaughn nodded before they moved over to Jack, who was in the middle of hugging his daughters tightly.

"Where di..did mmm…my poop-head go?"

"Mom went upstairs. But dad, I don't think it's such a good idea that you call her that."

"No dad. Clearly mom didn't like it."

"That's re…redi…..re…..redicu…… That's silly. I nn…need to t…tease her some more." He walked passed Sydney and Nadia quickly. They along with Vaughn and Eric were stunned by Jack's quick pace that it took a few seconds for them to get upstairs.

* * *

Upstairs Irina was in the kitchen getting the food out for the sandwiches. Jack walked in and started laughing. She turned around and stared at him angrily.

"Th…there you are, my poop-head."

"Don't Jack. Just don't." He moved closer while laughing.

"That's mmm….my call, poop-head."

"I'm warning you. Stop right now." He just laughed more and more.

"Poop-head, poop-head, poop-head, poop-head, poop-head, poop-head, poop-he….." Once again Irina's fist made contact with Jack's jaw and he fell to the floor. This time she knocked him out cold. Irina walked away and passed everyone else. Dmitri called out to her.

"What about dinner?"

"Make it yourself. I'm going to bed." A few seconds later they heard a door being slammed. Everyone looked around at each other, not really knowing what to make of the whole situation. Nadia tugged at Eric's shirt again.

"I think you better pick dad up again." They nodded and walked over to him.

"Gosh he's a little heavy when he's out cold."

"Yeah, tell me about it." Vaughn looked at Sydney and Nadia. "Where should we put him? I don't think it's a good idea to put him in the same room as your mother."

"Just put him on the couch in the living room. I think he'll be out for the entire night." They nodded and carried him to the living room with Sydney and Nadia following them. A short while later, they came back and met Dmitri in the hall. He eyed them.

"Who are you?" Sydney looked at him.

"They are the other two members of our team. But this guy is also my husband." She pointed at Vaughn while Nadia pointed at Eric.

"And he's my husband." Dmitri glared at them.

"You girls married CIA agents too?" They nodded. Eric reached his hand out to Dmitri.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Derevko." Eric smiled sincerely at him and so did Vaughn. However, Dmitri still glared at them. Eric took his hand back and looked at Vaughn. He then thought he'd give it a try.

"It's a lovely home you have here, sir." Without warning Vaughn and Eric both received a slap on the head.

"Ow."

"What was that for?"

"You should not talk to me like that."

"Like what? We were being very polite."

"Yes. I called you Mr. Derevko and Vaughn called you sir."

"Yeah." That only earned them another slap on the head.

"Ow."

"Seriously, what's with the slapping?"

"Many things. I would've liked the girls to have found someone, who wasn't a CIA agent. Second, by the looks of you, I also think the girls could've done a lot better. And I'm family. You don't call your family members sir or Mr." He smiled at them. "You will from now on call me uncle Dmitri. I won't have it any other way. Understood?" They looked at him like he was insane. Then they looked at Sydney and Nadia, who had a similar expression on their faces. They then looked back at Dmitri, nodded and tried to smile a little bit.

"Sure thing. Whatever you say, uncle Dmitri."

"Yes, of course, uncle Dmitri." Dmitri smiled and then engulfed Vaughn and Eric in a big hug.

"Good, good. Now we get to know each other. Come let's eat." With that he walked off to the kitchen. Sydney, Nadia, Vaughn, and Eric stood in the hall for a few seconds just shaking their heads, before following Dmitri to the kitchen.

**TBC**


	12. Chapter 12

**SofiaBlackBristow: **I'm thrilled to hear that I could make you laugh. *lol* Yeah, Irina's upset with Jack, but that's because the name brings up bad memories for her. Jack couldn't really help getting drunk, and as so many others when drunk, he can't control what he says. I'm still very happy to hear that you think my story is great - thank you. :-)

**Rishka Derevko: ***lol* I'm glad you think so - drunk Jack was fun to write. I'm so, so thrilled to hear that my story leaves you on the edge - thank you and I'm truly honored. :-) But if you're on the edge of your seat now, just wait. *devil* Thank you for loving Dmitri. *lol* - you can call him Dmitri if you want - I won't tell him. ;-) Thank you. :-)

* * *

**Chapter 12**

At 2.00 in the morning Irina got out of bed. She hadn't slept much. She had been too upset to sleep and she also never slept well when Jack wasn't by her side. Her stomach started to growl and she decided to get up and go to the kitchen to make herself a sandwich. She had almost finished making her sandwich when Dmitri joined her in the kitchen.

"Decided to get something to eat after all?" She looked at him annoyed.

"Yes. It's been hours since I've eaten. Besides, I never said I wasn't hungry." He nodded while she sat down to eat at the table.

"Mind if I join you?"

"You made it clear that this is your house, and that you make the decisions. I can't prevent you from sitting down." He nodded and sat down across from her.

After several minutes of silence Dmitri spoke.

"Child, I'm sorry for telling Jack that story. I know you never liked that nickname when you were a child, but I thought you had gotten passed that now." She didn't look at him.

"It's still a touchy subject." That was all she said, and there were more moments of silence before Dmitri spoke again.

"So, the girls and the guys told me about the triplets and about their own children. It sounds like you have a very lovely family." A smile spread across Irina's lips.

"Yes, I do."

"And I was told that Sergei is in your life too." She nodded. "That boy still hasn't tried out his way in the criminal world?" She shot her uncle an annoyed look.

"No. As I told you earlier, not every Derevko is a criminal. But if it makes you feel better, we did live together for a long time when I was a wanted terrorist, so technically, he's a criminal for not turning me in." He nodded and smiled a little.

"They also told me that Katya lives with you and Jack, whenever she's in LA."

"Yes, she does."

"So, she still hasn't gotten a house of her own yet?"

"No. You know how it is with her. I doubt she'll ever get a house of her own."

"Have you heard anything from Elena?" Irina froze a little.

"She's dead." Dmitri's eyes widen a little in surprise. Then he nodded.

"Any idea how that happened?"

"I killed her." That surprised Dmitri a little too. He waited a little while for Irina to explain, but when she didn't, he went on.

"May I ask why you killed her?" Irina took a deep breath.

"She kidnapped me and tortured me. She kept killing me and then reviving me, and I'm sure once she was done with me, she would've killed me for good. She did it all for Rambaldi. She never cared about anyone, and especially not her family." He nodded. "I don't know if you heard about Sovogda, but if you did, then that was her doing." He nodded again.

"Yes, I did hear about that, and because of all she did, I'm glad you killed her." She didn't really respond, but took a sip of her water instead. "I was happy when you introduced me to Nadia. I'm so glad you found her again and that she's Jack's daughter."

"I didn't find her. Jack did. He was the only one who could. But Nadia found me in Guatemala with Jack and Sydney, and rescued me from Elena's hell. However, it wasn't until a while lat…" She stopped talking and turned to look at Dmitri surprised. "How did you know about Nadia in the first place, and that there was a chance that she wasn't Jack's?"

"Your mother told me about that a long time ago. She told me about your life in America, and what happened to you after you were extracted." She was shocked to hear that.

"She told you about that?" He nodded and gave her a compassionate smile. She looked away. "She promised me that she would never tell anyone."

"She needed someone to tell. She needed to get it off her chest." He took a deep breath. "Your father knew too." She looked at him again, shocked to hear that too.

"Papa knew?" He nodded and she turned away. Her eyes started to tear up. "He was not supposed to know. Never." He tears fell, and she wiped them away.

"He knew that there was something wrong with you. He could tell that you were not the same girl who came home that he sent away. He asked your mother about it, but for years she just told him that there was nothing wrong. It wasn't until a few days before he died that he found out the truth. He begged her to tell him, and she finally did. She couldn't hide it from him any longer." She took a deep breath.

"He knew about me, when I came home two days before he died, didn't he?"

"Yes, he did."

"I thought there was something different about him. For one thing he apologized for not being a better father. He apologized for not keeping me home longer. I didn't know what he meant. I just thought that it was because he was so close to dying, and that he didn't really know what he said." A few more tears fell, and she wiped them away. "He was a great father. I told him that. I told him that he had always been a great father." She shook her head. "I can't believe he knew."

"Irina, he loved you. He loved all his girls and wanted nothing but the best for you. He wanted to know what was going on with his daughters, which is why your mother knew that she couldn't keep the truth from him any longer. She didn't want to keep anything from him, and especially not when he was so close to dying."

"Still she shouldn't have told him. She nearly died from hearing about it, and then she goes on to tell him on his deathbed. That must have sent him over the edge. That must have been the final blow. I was close to killing my mother, but I actually killed my father." She put her face in her hands and cried. Dmitri looked at her a little shocked before getting up and sitting down in front of her. He took her hands in his.

"Irina, no. Don't believe that, child. That's simply not true. You did not kill your father. If anything you brought a smile to his face. He wanted his girls to find happiness, and he knew that you'd had that in those years you were in America. He was happy that your mark had been a kind, loving, and caring man, and that you had actually met him prior to knowing he was your mark. He knew you loved him and your daughters very much, and although he never met Jack and his granddaughters, just the thought of having granddaughters put a smile to his face." He gave her hands a squeeze. "You put him at peace, child. He was always worried about you, when you were in America. Knowing that your time there had been pleasant made him extremely happy." Irina smiled a little through her tears.

"Yeah?" He smiled back at her.

"Yes, child." He squeezed her hands again. "He was horrified about what had happened to you after you were extracted, which is why he regretted being happy that you went to America. But he was also sure that you would be happy again one day, and that you would find love." He smiled at her again. "He, and your mother too, would be so happy to know that you're with Jack again, and that not only do you have Sydney back in your life, but that you also have Nadia again." She smiled a little. "They would also be happy to know that you have the triplets, even if you were very, very old, when you had them." She laughed a little from hearing that and he smiled at her even more. "There's that beautiful smile of yours." She smiled at him. "Wipe those tears from your eyes, child, and be happy to know that you brought happiness into your parents' lives." She smiled a bit more and then hugged him.

"Thank you, uncle." He hugged back tightly.

"Don't mention it, child." He helped her dry her tears. "Now, you should go back to bed. Unless you want more to eat?" She shook her head.

"No, thank you." They stood up and she brought her glass to the sink. She then looked back at him. "Aren't you going to bed too?"

"In a minute. I'm just going to make myself a cup of tea." She nodded and hugged him again.

"Thank you again." They smiled at each other.

"Anything for you, child." She smiled again and left the kitchen.

On her way to the bedroom, she went to the living room. Jack was fast asleep, snoring a little. She laughed a little shaking her head. Jack always snored when he was drunk. She gently stroked his jaw and bent to give him a kiss on the cheek. After watching him for a few seconds, she went back to the bedroom to try to get some sleep.

* * *

The next day Sydney, Vaughn, Nadia, and Eric all got up at the same time. They met out in the hall and after greeting each other good morning, Sydney and Nadia went to the living room with Vaughn and Eric waiting in the hall. They found their father still fast asleep and after checking on him for a few seconds they went back to the hall, and went with Vaughn and Eric to the kitchen. When they got there Irina and Dmitri were in the middle of making breakfast. They turned when the others entered and they all smiled at each other.

"Good morning all. Did you sleep well?"

"Yes, we slept just fine, mom. Dad is still sleeping. Should we wake him?"

"Yes, I know he is. I checked on him when I got up." Both Sydney and Nadia were happy to hear that. Maybe the events of yesterday would be forgotten and they could have a pleasant day. "But I think it's a good idea to let him sleep for as long as it's possible. That way, I think he'll feel better when he wakes up."

"Okay."

"Do you need any help?"

"No thanks, we've got everything under control. We just need to make the last of the toast and the coffee is nearly done too. But if you want to have something to eat, there's yogurt and fruit already on the table, as you can see." They nodded and sat down at the table.

"What about getting in touch with APO? Shouldn't we do that?"

"I already took care of that. I got in touch with them at 7.00, telling them that we were moving out to have a closer look again. I agreed with them that later on today we'll be agreeing on a time and date for our extraction."

"Dad has to be in on this." Irina nodded.

"Yes. That's why I told them that we were going to get in touch with them again some time in the afternoon. I figured your father will be up by then."

"So, why did you get in touch with them at 7.00? That was a bit early, wasn't it?" Eric poured some fruit into a bowl while talking to Irina.

"No, not really. Yesterday we got in touch with them at 6.00, and I think it might make them wonder if we hadn't gotten in touch with them by now." She brought the toast over to the table and Dmitri got the coffee. "Besides, I couldn't sleep anyway, so I thought I might as well get in touch with them." Eric nodded while Sydney and Nadia smiled at each other. They had a feeling that their mother hadn't slept well because their father wasn't by her side. Sydney turned her attention back to her mother.

"Mom, did anyone at APO say anything about why dad didn't report in?" Irina shook her head.

"No they didn't. Why?"

"Well, I reported in about an hour after you went to bed last night, and they asked why dad wasn't the one reporting in. Actually, they asked why it wasn't dad or you, who reported in."

"What did you tell them?"

"I just told them that you were both off setting up camp, and that you'd asked me to do it." Irina gave a nod.

"And they bought that?"

"Yeah, I think so."

"Good, then that's the story we're sticking to when we get home." They all nodded and went back to eating breakfast.

* * *

They spent the rest of the morning talking and getting to know each other better. Jack was still asleep on the couch when it was lunch time. Dmitri took Vaughn and Eric with him to the kitchen to get lunch ready while Irina, Sydney, and Nadia looked in on Jack.

"Are you sure we shouldn't wake him, mom?" Irina shook her head.

"I think it's best to let him sleep for as long as he can. My uncle's homebrew is bound to give him one hell of a headache, so I think the more he gets to sleep the better." She looked at Nadia. "Remember how you were the day after my bachelorette party? You wanted to sleep too, and said that you would feel better if you kept on sleeping." Nadia laughed a little.

"Yeah, I remember. And I think I would have too." She nodded. "Yeah, I think it's best to let dad sleep." They took one last look at him before going to the kitchen.

"Is he still out cold?"

"Yeah, and we're going to let him sleep until he wakes up on his own." Dmitri laughed.

"I don't think you would've been able to wake him anyway. People who are not used to drinking my homebrew are usually knocked out for hours, and you never seem to be able to wake them up. But with the many hours that he has slept, I'm sure that he'll be waking up soon." They nodded and sat down to lunch.

* * *

They spent an hour in the kitchen eating lunch, and after that they moved outside. Thirty minutes later Irina was in the kitchen putting water on for tea when Jack entered. She turned around and smiled sincerely at him.

"Hi. You're up. How are you feeling?" He looked like hell, and he seemed to feel as he looked. He looked at her a bit angrily and his voice was the same way.

"Don't. Just don't." She was taken aback by the anger in his voice.

"Excuse me?" He moved further into the kitchen and started looking around for a glass.

"No, I will not excuse you." When he finally found one, he poured himself a glass of water.

"I know that after yesterday you're probably not feeling that well, but can we just sit down and talk?"

"No, I'm not in the mood." Jack and Irina didn't notice that the others were gathering in the hall and looking in on them.

"But Jack, if you'll just let me explain." He glared at her and got a little angrier.

"Why on earth should I? My head is throbbing thanks to you."

"Thanks to me? Jack, I didn't get you drunk."

"No, you didn't. But you did knock me to the ground. Twice. You're responsible for my sore jaw and the bump on my head." He poured himself another glass of water and then turned and looked at her. "You might not have put the bottle to my mouth, but if you hadn't left me tied up in the basement, I wouldn't have gotten drunk in the first place. So technically, you're just as responsible as your uncle." Now she got a little annoyed. She took a deep breath not wanting to lose control.

"Yes, I know what I did and if we can just sit down and talk."

"No, I feel terrible and I'm not in the mood." She shook her head frustrated.

"Then when will be a good time, Jack?"

"Don't know, but it's definitely not now." She started to get a little angry and it was evident in her voice.

"Jack, would you stop being childish and stubborn at the moment? We need to talk about this." He looked at her more angrily then he'd done before, and he started to shout a little.

"Oh I'm being childish? Then what the hell do you call your behavior yesterday? You were definitely more childish than me, and over some silly nickname you got when you were a kid. A kid, Irina." She showed him the same anger that she got from him, and she started shouting too.

"You have no idea, Jack. No idea. So if you'll just let me explain and stop being so stubborn."

"Damn it, Irina. Get it through your thick head that I'm not in the mood to talk to you. It's not a matter of being stubborn, it's a matter of feeling like someone drove a bulldozer over my head and wanting to have some peace and quiet until I start to feel better again." She shook her head in frustration and shouted a little louder.

"Fine." She walked out of the kitchen, leaving Sydney, Nadia, Vaughn, Eric, and Dmitri staring a little wide eyed at each other. They stood in the hall for a few seconds before entering the kitchen.

"Hi dad." He turned around and gave out a half smile to his daughters and sons-in-laws.

"Hi." He looked at Dmitri a little annoyed. "Where do you keep your aspirins?"

"I don't have any." Jack groaned annoyed.

"Great. Just great." Dmitri stepped closer.

"I do have some tea that's wonderful for a headache." Jack shot him an annoyed look.

"Well, excuse me if I don't seem to be jumping up and down out of joy from hearing this. But I'm a little wary of taking anything drinkable that you're offering. The same probably goes for anything eatable." He poured himself another glass of water and drank it. Dmitri laughed a little.

"I can understand how you feel, Jack, but I assure you that I didn't make this tea myself. It's made on Chinese herbs, and it's perfectly safe." Jack rubbed his head. His head still hurt like hell, and since it didn't seem to go away, he decided he might as well try out the tea.

"Fine. Make the tea." Dmitri nodded and went to get the tea out of the cupboard. Jack sat down and Sydney and Nadia moved closer to him.

"Do you want us to make you something to eat?"

"There are some eggs in the fridge. We can make you some scrambled eggs. There's also toast and some ham that we can fry on the pan."

"There's plenty of coffee too." He smiled at his daughters.

"Yes, thank you. That sounds wonderful." They nodded and started to make the food. Vaughn and Eric were still standing in the kitchen, not really sure of what to do. They looked at each other and figured it was probably best to leave.

"Hi Jack. Good to see you're up."

"Yeah. We'll just leave you alone, so that you can have some peace and quiet. We'll be outside if you need us." He didn't really look at them but just nodded. They nodded in return and left.

It didn't take long for the toast to be done. Nadia took out the butter and found the jam. She put it on the table and in a few seconds Jack was eating. When the scrambled eggs and ham were done he had that too with his coffee. The water was boiling for the tea, and Dmitri made a cup for Jack with the Chinese herbs and made a pot with the tea for everyone else. When the tea was ready to be served, Jack was done eating. Dmitri looked at Jack.

"We'll be having our tea outside. Would you like to join us?" Jack ran his hands over his head and then nodded slightly.

"Yeah. I think the fresh air will do me good."

He got up and took his cup of tea from Dmitri. Sydney got the tray with the mugs for everyone else, Dmitri took the other tea, and together with Nadia the four of them joined Irina, Vaughn, and Eric outside. Jack found a seat that was farthest from Irina, and she didn't give him the time of day either. The mugs were passed around and in a few seconds everyone were enjoining a cup of tea.

Twenty minutes had passed in complete silence. Sydney, Nadia, Vaughn, Eric, and Dmitri had been looking around each other but hadn't said anything. Dmitri looked over at Jack.

"How's the head, Jack? Are you feeling any better?" Jack looked at Dmitri, still being annoyed with him.

"It's still throbbing, but the tea has helped a little."

"Don't worry. It'll be more effective later. I can make you a new cup if you'd like?" Jack nodded slightly. Too much movement with his head only made him feel worse.

"Thank you that would be nice." Dmitri smiled at him and went to get Jack's cup.

"I'll put some more water on for another round of tea." Everyone nodded slightly.

Ten minutes later Dmitri came back with the tea and after everyone had gotten themselves a fresh cup of tea another ten minutes passed in silence. Nadia looked over at her father.

"Dad, we contacted APO yesterday saying what we agreed on in the basement. Later in the evening we contacted them again, saying we were setting up camp for the night. They were contacted again this morning where we said that we would continue to look around the area. But we agreed that we would contact them again sometime in the afternoon to make arrangements for our extraction." Jack nodded. "Any idea when our extraction will be? I think it's obvious that Sloane isn't here."

"Sloane? As in Arvin Sloane?" Everyone looked at Dmitri and nodded. "You thought that he was here?"

"Yes."

"What made you think he was here? Not only did I jam the radio signal, but I also jammed the signal to the satellite that I know is covering this forest, which is why it appears that the forest is deserted. This cabin doesn't show up on any satellite readings and neither does my other cabin. It would make no sense for Sloane to be here." Everyone nodded.

"Yeah, we know. That's why we thought it was odd. We checked everything and checked the satellite readings a million times. Our tech guy found a tiny fluctuation on the satellite. Everyone who also looked into the satellite readings thought that it meant that the satellite was just old. Our tech guy thought this too, but he also thought that the signal could be blocked on purpose." Dmitri smiled.

"Your tech guy sounds like a smart guy." Sydney nodded.

"He most certainly is. But, because it was Sloane, the CIA wanted to send in a team to check the area out, when we were as sure as we could be that we wouldn't be putting ourselves in danger. If he happened to be here, but not alone, we would call for a bigger team and then take him out. If it turned out that he was alone and we wouldn't be putting ourselves in danger, then we were allowed to capture him ourselves."

"But so how did you get the indication that Sloane was here?"

"We received coordinates anonymously that he'd been spotted here." Dmitri looked at them oddly.

"Anonymously? Isn't that a little odd?"

"Yes very. But like I said, this was Sloane we're dealing with, so we wanted to send a team to investigate regardless of who sent the coordinates. We all want Sloane caught more than anything, so we'll gladly check out every lead we get."

"Do you think Sloane could've sent you the coordinates himself?"

"It's possible. We thought that maybe he wanted us out of the way, because he was up to something. But we checked everything involving money deals and weapons, and nothing seemed to be about to go down that would make him want us out of the country." Dmitri nodded and Nadia looked at him.

"Do you think that there's a link between that this was supposed to be Sloane's whereabouts, and that we then find you here instead? Could we have been given these coordinates for a reason?" Dmitri shook his head.

"I don't think so. I mean, no one thought I was alive. Well, some people in the nearest town know that I'm alive and a few others, but other than that no one knows. I've also never had any dealings with Sloane. He doesn't know me and the only thing I know of him is from what I've been told about him. I can only see that it's a coincidence that you found me here." Sydney nodded.

"Okay, since we now know that there's no connection, I guess we won't have any reason to stay any longer." She looked at her father and he nodded. "So dad, when do we leave?" Jack took a sip from his tea.

"I'm in no condition to leave today, so I think we should leave tomorrow. We have just as much ground to cover as we did the last time with getting back, but because our extraction will more likely be in the evening, we should probably wait until after lunch to leave or at least around that time. That way we'll spend most of the day after tomorrow walking and it'll work out with our extraction being in the evening. We won't have to sit around for hours and wait that way." Everyone including Irina nodded.

A few minutes more had passed in silence when Eric looked oddly at Dmitri.

"Wait. Did you say you had another cabin?" Everyone looked from Eric to Dmitri and he smiled.

"Yes, I do. It's a long drive to the nearest town and I can't make that drive in one day. So, I had another cabin built. That way I can stay over night there when I go back and forth to town." They all looked at him a little surprised, but then nodded. Dmitri looked around at them. "I assume when you came to my cabin here, you all slept outside when you made camp for the night, right?"

"Yes, we did."

"Well, why don't you camp out in my cabin? It's better than sleeping outside and it has three bedrooms." Everyone's eyes shot up. Vaughn shook his head confused.

"Why do you need a cabin with three bedrooms when it's just you?"

"Sometimes it's not just me. I have some friends who live further away then the nearest town. When they come to visit, we stay in the other cabin. The cabin is not as big as this one. The bedrooms are very small and it only has one small bathroom. The small kitchen and living area are also connected." He nodded. "I have a van you can use. That way you can get to the cabin quicker. You can as you suggested still leave after lunch, which will make you arrive at the cabin in the early hours of the morning. No later than 1.00 a.m. I'd assume. You can't drive that fast through the forest, but I think sleeping in a bed is better than sleeping in the forest." Eric smiled.

"It sure sounds better." Dmitri smiled back.

"The route is different then the one you took getting here, but there's still a good place where you can get picked up by the helicopter. Though, with staying in the cabin and not leaving until the evening you will have to spend most of the day there. It's about a three hour walk to the best place for the helicopter to land." They all looked around at each other and then looked at Jack as he would be the one to make the final decision. He looked at Dmitri and nodded.

"I think we can live with that. Like you said, it's better to sleep in a bed than in the forest, and even though there probably aren't any dangers with our extraction, I think it's best to change to a new extraction point. APO will have no problem picking us up in a new spot." Dmitri smiled and got up.

"Good then let me go and get a real map of the forest and we can make the plans."

They spent the next hour going over the map and organizing the route and their time for departure. After that Jack got in touch with APO and gave them the new coordinates for their extraction point and they arranged a time for their extraction. Then they spent the rest of the afternoon talking, though Jack got up at one point and moved his chair further away, so that he could rest. Late in the afternoon everyone got up and headed to the kitchen to make dinner. Nadia walked over to her father.

"Hi dad. How's the head?" He smiled back at her.

"It's better, but I'm still not feeling a hundred percent yet."

"The rest of us are starting on dinner. Why don't you just sit out here and rest and we'll call you when dinner is ready."

"Thanks sweetheart."

"Can I get you anything?"

"No I'm fine, but thank you."

"Don't mention it." She gave him a kiss on the forehead before going to the kitchen.

* * *

Meanwhile in the kitchen Sydney helped her mother get food out of the fridge.

"So, mom. When are you going to talk to dad?"

"I tried talking to your father this afternoon, but he wasn't in the mood. I expect him to tell me when he'll be in the mood to talk."

"He seems to be feeling a little better, so maybe later tonight you could try again." Irina looked at Sydney and saw that she was smiling a little. She smiled back at her daughter.

"Yeah, maybe." Sydney nodded and got the rest of the food out of the fridge.

Dinner went somewhat okay. Jack didn't participate much in the conversation and Irina talked less than everyone else. After dinner Irina, Nadia, and Eric did the dishes, while Jack, Sydney, Vaughn, and Dmitri went to the living room. When the dishes were done, the coffee was brought in and the rest of the evening turned out pretty much the way dinner turned out, with Jack hardly saying anything and Irina not talking as much as anyone else.

* * *

Later in the evening Dmitri looked at the time.

"Although I'd hate to break up the night since you're all leaving tomorrow, maybe it would be best if we all went to bed. You have a long day ahead of you tomorrow." They looked around at each other and agreed.

Sydney, Nadia, Vaughn, Eric, and Dmitri got up and looked at Jack and Irina, who were still sitting. They then looked at each other and decided not to say anything to them.

"Well, we're all heading off to bed. Goodnight."

"Yeah, goodnight guys." Both Jack and Irina looked at everyone and smiled at them.

"Goodnight."

"Goodnight and sleep well."

"You too." They left and let Jack and Irina sit in the living room. None of them spoke for several minutes, but then Irina decided that she might as well take Sydney's advice.

"So, Jack. Are you in the mood to talk now?" He looked at her a little annoyed.

"What's there to talk about?" She looked at him just as annoyed.

"What do you mean, what's there to talk about? You've been in a bad mood all day, and didn't give me time to explain."

"Oh, so you think you can actually explain why you felt the need to knock me to the ground twice? There was no reason for you to do that, so I don't see that any explanation can justify your reasons for knocking me down." She shook her head frustrated.

"Fine. If you want to be so stubborn and not listen to my explanation, then you're sleeping on the couch tonight." With that she got up and left the living room. A few seconds later Jack heard her slam the door and the key being turned in the door. He let out a frustrated grunt.

"Fine." Then he found a blanket and tried to get comfortable on the couch.

* * *

Hours later without having gotten much sleep Jack got up and headed to the kitchen. Dmitri had just made himself a cup of tea when Jack entered and looked at him and smiled.

"Hello Jack. Couldn't sleep?" Jack looked at Dmitri for a few seconds before answering.

"No. My whole body is aching from sleeping on that horrible couch of yours. It doesn't help that I still don't feel completely okay after you got me drunk." Dmitri nodded.

"I've just made some tea. Would you like a cup?" Jack sighed.

"Sure, why not." Dmitri poured Jack a cup and Jack was just about to sit down.

"No, Jack. Why don't we have the tea outside. The fresh night air might help you sleep better." Jack looked at him for a few seconds and then nodded.

"Yeah, I guess."

"Good. Grab a couple of blankets in the living room and I'll get the tea." Jack nodded and a few seconds later they were sitting outside with a blanket around them and a cup of tea in their hand. Dmitri breathed in the fresh air. "This is nice." He looked over at Jack. "Wouldn't you agree?" Jack just shrugged.

"I guess." Dmitri smiled.

"A man of few words."

"At times." Dmitri nodded and after a few moments of silence Dmitri turned to look at Jack again.

"Jack, I apologize for letting you stay tied up and getting you drunk. I have Irina's best interest at heart, but I could see from the start that there was no reason for me to interrogate you. So basically I just did it to have a little fun. I thought it was a way for us to get to know each other." Jack rolled his eyes.

"Well, you're a Derevko, so I can understand why you used those methods to have a little fun." Dmitri laughed.

"Yes, I have to keep my reputation." That earned Dmitri a little smile from Jack. Dmitri spoke more sincerely. "I honestly didn't intend for Irina to knock you out, or to even get you into trouble. I don't know what came over her for her to get so mad." He shook his head and smiled at Jack. "But then I don't know what made her fall in love with a CIA agent, and what made her stay in love with you. At least I didn't know until I met you." Jack looked at Dmitri. "I only knew of you from what Irina's mother told me, and although she spoke highly of you and Irina's father did too, I still wasn't convinced." Jack looked at Dmitri puzzled.

"I thought Irina's dad didn't know about her feelings for me."

"Irina's father knew that there was something wrong with Irina, and that there was something his wife wasn't telling him. However, it wasn't until a few days before he died that she told him everything after he begged her to. I came to visit my brother the day after she had told him, and when he started to tell me a little bit of what Irina had gone through and I was clueless, her mother told me everything too. After she had told me, I talked to my brother about it, so that he had someone to talk to about it, other than his wife." Jack was a little stunned.

"So her father knew about everything?"

"Yes. Everything that happened during her time in America and everything that happened after her extraction." Jack swallowed.

"So he knew about Kashmir too."

"Yes, unfortunately he did. That was what made him so guilty about being happy that she had gotten the assignment to go to America and had been so happy that she had joined the KGB in the first place."

"That must have been painful. I knew her mother went to the hospital when she found out what had happened."

"Yes, it wasn't easy for him to learn that about his daughter. He thought he'd been a bad father."

"I think it's natural for a father to feel that way."

"I would imagine." Jack took a sip of his tea and then looked down in his cup. "But he was also extremely happy that Irina had experienced happiness with you. All he wanted for his daughters was for them to be happy, and he was thrilled that you had been such a kind, caring, and loving man to Irina." Jack looked at Dmitri, who smiled at him. He smiled back a little. "For the man you were to his daughter in the first years of your marriage, my brother would be eternally grateful if he was still living. But for the man you are to his daughter now, he would gladly die so you could live, if he was still living." Jack smiled shyly. "Irina's parents would have accepted you with opens arms and welcomed you into the family. They would have treated you with nothing but love and respect, and I'm sure wherever they are, they're smiling and are happy that you and Irina are back together, have a wonderful family, and that you're happy and in love." Jack's smile widened and then he let out a small laugh.

"So what would they think of our current situation?" Dmitri laughed.

"They'd think you're both stubborn." That made Jack laughed a little more. "That's why you're so good for each other. You're probably better for Irina than she is for you. With her track record, it's a wonder you're back together." Jack smiled a little.

"She hasn't only done bad things. She's made up for a lot of the bad she did in her past. And I can't deny what's in my heart. I've always loved her, and that's never going to change." Dmitri smiled.

"And she's always loved you." Jack looked at him and smiled. "And she needs you. If she didn't have you in her life, it would be a mess. It was a mess for many years, but there's a light in her eyes that I've never seen before, and you put it there, Jack." He smiled at Jack. "You're a good man to have in the family, and I'm glad that you are."

"Thank you." Dmitri nodded at Jack. They sat outside for a little while longer finishing their tea before getting up.

"Jack about your little fight, you've got going on here." Jack turned looking at Dmitri and nodded. "Don't give in. Irina knocked you out, so she should speak up first. I know that she wanted to this morning and you wouldn't let her, but I also know what it's like to have had too much of my homebrew. Maybe you should've listened to her, both this morning and this evening, and you made the call not to do so. But I still say that you wait until Irina wants to talk to you again." Jack let out a small laugh and Dmitri nodded. "Yes, I know it must sound strange that I'm not agreeing with my niece."

"Yeah, a little bit."

"Well, she knocked you out and I was responsible for getting you drunk, so I still think that she should come to you first, even though she did twice already. However that's just my opinion. Of course it's your call." Jack nodded.

"We'll see how things go tomorrow."

They walked into the house and after saying goodnight they went their separate ways, and Jack tried to get some sleep on the couch.

* * *

The next morning Irina ignored Jack. He said a good morning that was meant for everyone when he entered the kitchen. Jack and Dmitri looked at each other and Dmitri laughed silently, while Jack smiled in return. They spent the rest of the morning talking and sat down again for lunch later in the day. After lunch they packed sandwiches and beverages for the ride to the other cabin, and put their gear into the van that they'd be borrowing to get to the cabin. They got some oatmeal so that they could have that for breakfast the following day, and for lunch and dinner they would eat the same kind of food packages that they had eaten the night they spent in the forest. When they were set to go, they all gathered outside of Dmitri's cabin. Vaughn and Eric walked up to him first.

"It's been a pleasure meeting you Dmi.." Eric stopped when Dmitri cocked an eyebrow at him. "Uh, I mean, uncle Dmitri." Dmitri instantly smiled and hugged Eric.

"It's been a pleasure meeting you too, Eric." Vaughn was next.

"Take care, uncle Dmitri." Vaughn got a hug too.

"You too, Michael." Vaughn and Eric got into the van. Vaughn would be driving and Eric would be giving directions. Sydney and Nadia stepped up to say goodbye to Dmitri.

"Goodbye, uncle Dmitri."

"It was wonderful to meet you." He smiled broadly at both of them and hugged them tightly.

"I'm so happy to have finally met you girls. Take care and give those children of yours a kiss from me, when you get home."

"We will." They hugged again and Dmitri kissed their cheeks. They climbed into the back of the van, where they would be sitting with their parents. Jack was next.

"Remember what I told you, Jack." He leaned closer and whispered. "She has to make the first move." Jack let out a small laugh.

"I'll remember that. Goodbye, uncle Dmitri." Dmitri hugged Jack tightly and then kissed both his cheeks and his forehead.

"Goodbye Jack. It was a pleasure to finally meet you." They exchange smiles and Jack joined Sydney and Nadia in the van. Irina was the last to say goodbye to Dmitri. She hugged him tightly and they stayed like that for a few seconds. When they pulled apart Irina smiled at him.

"Now, you have our address in LA. Please come and visit us. I know you don't want to go anywhere other than the nearest town, but I really want you to meet the triplets. Katya and Sergei would also love to see you again. You have a family that loves you and wants you in their lives, so please consider coming to visit us in LA."

"I'll consider it. You take care, child, and give the triplets, Katya, and Sergei a kiss from me."

"I will." She hugged him again and kissed his cheek. "I love you, uncle." He kissed her cheeks and her forehead.

"I love you too, child, and I'm happy that I could finally meet your family. And I might just come to LA one day." They smiled at each other and hugged one last time before Irina got into the van, and they drove away.

* * *

The car ride was very quiet. Vaughn and Eric tried to keep a conversation going from time to time, and Sydney and Nadia tried their best to participate and keep the mood light. But Jack and Irina kept silent. They made a few short stops along the way when nature called and they also stopped to eat dinner. At that time Jack contacted APO to tell them that they were settling in for the night. The radio signal would normally not work at the other cabin either, but Dmitri had agreed to switch it on, so that they could contact APO when they needed to. He knew when they would leave the cabin the next day, and would then switch it off again.

At nearly 1.00 in the morning they arrived at the cabin. They got their gear out and while the guys hid the van under some tarp and turned on the water from the outside, the girls took the key from its hideaway and brought the gear inside. They took a quick look at the surroundings, and then Sydney, Nadia, Vaughn, and Eric took a look at each other not really knowing what to say or do. Jack got his toothbrush out of his bag and went to the bathroom to brush his teeth. When he came out, he headed straight for one of the bedrooms. Irina narrowed her eyes at him and followed him a little, but was still standing outside the room.

"Jack, what do you think you're doing? If you think we're sharing a bed, then you're wrong." A few seconds later Jack came out holding a pillow and two blankets. She looked at him annoyed. "I'm glad to see you came to your senses." He smirked at her.

"Yes, I did. You see, I told your uncle that I believe in equality in a marriage. So, since I spent the last two nights on the couch, tonight it's your turn." She gaped at him, and only gaped at him even more when he threw the pillow and blankets at her. He smirked at her even more. "Goodnight." Then he slammed the door in her face and locked it. She got angry.

"Jack, you can't to this. Do you hear me? Jack. Jack." She pounded on the door, but she didn't get a response from him.

The others had been standing there a little shocked of what had just happened. They then looked around at each other and then nodded that it was probably best if they just went to bed.

"Uh, we're going to bed now."

"Yeah. Goodnight mom." Irina shook her head frustrated and turned and looked at the others.

"Yeah, fine. Goodnight."

They didn't really want to stay longer than that, so they hurried into the other two rooms, without as much as brushing their teeth. Irina went to the bathroom and brushed her teeth. When she got back to the living room, she kicked the door to the bedroom Jack was in and waited to see if she would get a response. When she didn't, she went to the couch. After several minutes of trying to get comfortable on a rundown couch, she let out a frustrated grunt when she realized she wouldn't be getting much sleep and definitely not a comfortable one.

**TBC**


	13. Chapter 13

**SofiaBlackBristow:** *lol* I don't know if Jack's crazy - he's actually well within his rights to make Irina sleep on the couch. The first night in the first cabin Jack had no other choice then to sleep on the couch, since he was passed out. But on the second night Irina made him sleep on the couch and even locked the door to the bedroom. So it's really only right that Jack gets to have the bed and make Irina sleep on the couch. *lol* I'm glad I could make you laugh. Thank you so much for loving my story. Kiss to you too. :-)

* * *

**Chapter 13**

The next morning Sydney, Nadia, Vaughn, and Eric came out of their rooms at the same time. They found Irina sitting on the couch drinking a cup of tea. The four of them exchanged looks and then moved a little closer.

"Morning mom." Irina looked up at them through tired eyes and smiled a little.

"Morning."

"You don't look like you slept that well."

"I didn't. The couch is completely rundown, and my whole body is sore from sleeping on it. Well, if you can actually call it sleep, because I hardly slept at all." Just then Jack walked out smiling broadly at everyone, and a little triumphantly.

"Good morning all. Isn't it just a lovely day? There's really something about this fresh forest air. I was out like a light. I haven't slept that good in a long time, and the bed was so comfortable." Irina shot him an annoyed look, while he smirked in return. The others looked around at each other again and rolled their eyes, but also smiled at Jack.

"Morning dad."

There was silence for a few seconds. Vaughn and Eric looked at each other, and then Vaughn nodded.

"Yeah, nice forest air." Eric nodded agreeing with Vaughn.

"Yeah, nice indeed. It's so…so….uh…fresh. Yeah, it's fresh. Absolutely." They nodded and Jack smiled.

"So how did you all sleep?" Sydney, Nadia, Vaughn, and Eric looked around at each other briefly, not really knowing what do say. With the tone in Jack's voice, they had a feeling that he was mostly only asking to taunt Irina, and they didn't really want to be part of him doing that, and thereby causing further tension between them. But they also knew that they couldn't ignore Jack's question.

"We slept fine, dad."

"Yeah, Eric and I slept fine too."

"Good. That's nice to hear. There's nothing like a good night's sleep." He turned and looked at Irina, asking her the same question with his eyes. She narrowed her eyes at him and he smirked in return. The others looked at each other again and rolled their eyes.

"We'll get breakfast started." Then they walked off towards the kitchen area, and Jack continued to smirk at Irina. After a few seconds she had enough and she went to the others. Jack laughed silently to himself. He was annoying her, and he was loving it.

Sydney got out the oatmeal they'd gotten from Dmitri from one of the bags, and Vaughn got out the coffee they'd brought from home from one of the other bags. Nadia got the pot out to make the oatmeal porridge in, and Eric found the plates and cups in the cupboard and the spoons in the drawer. With everything under control Jack and Irina sat down at the table and waited for breakfast and the coffee to be ready.

Breakfast was a quiet affair. Jack was smirking a little triumphantly throughout breakfast, and he could tell that Irina was annoyed. She didn't show it much now, but Jack knew his wife well enough to know that she was annoyed just by his triumphant smirk. After breakfast Vaughn showered first. When he got out Jack was next. Vaughn looked at him.

"It's all yours, Jack." Jack nodded. "It's amazing that the man has a cabin built with three bedrooms, and yet he builds the bathroom extremely small. There's not much room to move around in. Not even in the shower."

"Yeah, I noticed yesterday. But I don't think it'll be much of a problem. I'll only be taking a quick shower, so I'm sure the space will be fine." Vaughn smiled and nodded.

"Yeah, I'm sure you're right."

After Jack showered, it was Eric's turn. The girls had found a deck of cards and played to pass the time. Jack and Vaughn found some books at the cabin and started to read, and when Eric got out of the shower, he too picked up a book. They spent the rest of the morning like that and shortly before lunch Nadia showered and after that Sydney showered.

They sat down to lunch shortly after and that was as uneventful as breakfast had been. After Sydney and Nadia were clearing the table and looked at each other.

"This is going to be a long day."

"Yeah, tell me about it. We're not leaving this place until 7.00, and it's only 1.00 now."

"Maybe the four of us should go for a walk. We don't have to be gone for that long. Maybe just two hours or so. Mom and dad can't really object. They might want to come with us, or just one of them, but we can always say that we just want to be alone with Eric and Vaughn."

"That's actually not such a bad idea. I think Vaughn and Eric want to get out of this cabin just as badly as the two of us, even if it's only for a little while."

"That's what I was thinking. I suggest that we just tell them that we just talked about going for a walk and ask them to join us on the spot. That way it won't come out sounding weird like it might have if all four of us had agreed on it beforehand, and I think mom and dad will understand better that it's a walk meant only for the four of us." Sydney nodded and they looked over at the living area where their parents and husbands were sitting.

"Let's do this." They walked over there and stood in front of the coffee table.

"So Sydney and I were wondering if you two would like to go for a walk for a few hours?" Everyone looked up and Nadia pointed at Eric and Vaughn. They looked briefly at each other and then at their wives again.

"It's such a beautiful day to take a walk in the forest, and we thought we'd take advantage of the opportunity. It'll only be for a few hours."

"Yeah. So what do you say? You want to come for a walk with us?" Vaughn and Eric had a feeling that their wives wanted to get out of the cabin to get a break from Jack and Irina as badly as they wanted to. So without hesitation, they agreed.

"That sounds like a great idea." Eric put his book down and got up immediately, but without making it seem like he was in a hurry to get out of there.

"Yeah, a walk in the forest sounds nice." Vaughn got up too, and he and Eric went to get their jackets, not wanting to give Jack and Irina a chance to stop them.

Both Jack and Irina had a feeling that Sydney and Nadia came up with the walk in the forest to get out of the cabin, but they didn't say anything about it or object. Sydney and Nadia smiled at their parents.

"I hope you don't mind. It's just that it's a nice forest and we can actually enjoy it, since our extraction is not until tonight."

"It's also highly unlikely that we'll be coming back here one day, so we just want to make the most of it." Jack and Irina smiled at their daughters and nodded.

"No sure, go right ahead. Don't worry about us."

"Yeah, there are plenty of books to read." They smiled back at their parents.

"Okay thanks. We won't be gone more than a few hours."

"Take as long as you need." They nodded.

"Bye."

"Bye girls."

Sydney and Nadia also left rather quickly but also without making it seem like they were in a rush.

* * *

Once they were all outside, Vaughn and Eric sighed in relief.

"Thank you for getting us out of there."

"Yeah. With all that silence and tension between your parents, I really needed an excuse to leave."

"So did we. Let's just walk around for a few hours and see if they've made up by the time we get back."

"I sure hope they have."

"We all hope they have." They looked around at each other and nodded before leaving.

* * *

Inside the cabin Jack and Irina didn't speak to each other when the others left. In fact they didn't really acknowledge each other. They went back to reading their books without as much as looking at each other.

A little more than an hour later they still hadn't spoken to each other. Irina ran a hand through her hair and remembered that she still hadn't showered. Without saying anything she got up from her chair and went to the bedroom Jack had slept in. Dmitri had told them that there were plenty of towels, blankets, sheets, and pillows in each of the closets that were in each bedroom. They could use as much as they wanted and in a few days he would drive to the cabin on one of the dirt bikes to pick up his van and the sheets and towels they had used, so that they could get cleaned. A few seconds later she came out of the bedroom with a towel in her hand, walked to the bathroom and slammed the door. Jack didn't look up from his book, but laughed a little to himself.

She showered for twenty minutes letting the hot water relax her and letting go of her frustrations. When she stepped out of the shower to dry off, she was cursing of the lack of space in the bathroom. Then she had an idea. If she dried herself off out in the living area right in front of Jack, she knew that he would look, and she would be able to get back at him by turning him down when he made advances. It would be hard, because she had been missing him, but she decided to be stubborn. She laughed a little to herself and stepped out of the bathroom.

When Jack heard the door to the bathroom open, he didn't really look up. But he did notice that Irina stepped out of the bathroom naked. He forced himself to keep his eyes in the book, and hid to the best of his abilities how much he had to swallow. His mouth had gone dry from seeing the sight of his naked wife standing merely a few feet away. He had a feeling that she was taunting him and wanted him to look, only so that she could turn him down. Well two could play that game. He locked his eyes on the book and struggled to remain in his seat, when all he wanted was to take Irina in his arms.

Irina had her back turned to Jack, thinking that just the backside of her was enough to drive him crazy. But after a few moments she was surprised that he hadn't left the couch yet to approach her. She couldn't feel his eyes on her either. Glancing over her shoulder briefly, she was annoyed to see that Jack had his eyes stuck in the book. Deciding not to let that get to her, she bent down to dry her legs, thereby giving Jack a better view of her butt.

Jack noticed what she was doing, and had to swallow again and again. He had a hard time finding his strength to stay in his seat. But he was determined not to let her get to him. He kept his eyes on the pages and pretended to be reading, even though he hadn't been able to read a single thing since Irina stepped out of the bathroom. He turned another page in the book and made it appear that he took an interest in what the book was about.

She took a deep breath, breathing the air out silently, so Jack wouldn't be able to tell that she was annoyed by hearing him turning another page in the book. She couldn't understand why he wasn't looking at her or why he wasn't allover her by now. She decided to change tactics and turned so that Jack could get a look at her from her front. She ran her towel up and down her body and paid special attention to her breasts. She moaned in contentment as the soft towel caressed her body. She thought that at least would make Jack give in.

He thought he was about to give in when she turned around, and even more when she started making noises. He wanted to look at her, and to take in the beautiful sight. But he also didn't want to give in. He thought it would be best to keep his eyes in the book, but then thought of a better idea. If she could change tactics, so could he. He decided that he was going to look at her. Closing the book loud enough for her to hear, he put it down, leaned back in the couch and started to look her up and down with a satisfied smirk on his face.

She had her eyes closed when she heard him close the book and put it on the table. She expected him to stand right in front of her by now, but was surprised when he didn't, after having let her eyes stay closed for a few seconds more. She opened her eyes and found him looking her up and down and smirking. On the inside she got annoyed, but on the outside she didn't let it show. She continued drying herself and also running her hands over her body. That didn't seem to help, since she saw that Jack continued to look her up and down and smirking. She had one final move. A question. A question that she knew he would answer honestly and the conversation that followed would be in her favor. He would cave and she would win. She narrowed her eyes, locked hers with his, and spoke huskily.

"See anything you like?" He smirked at her even more.

"No." That was not the answer she expected and the surprise of his answer was written allover her face. He knew he would throw her off with that answer, and if he wanted to taunt her even more, he would leave it at that. If he wanted to annoy her even more, so that everyone could see that he won, he would leave it at that. But seeing the expression on her face, he knew that he had won their little competition of who would get to the other first, and that was enough for him. His smirk turned into a loving smile, his eyes softened, and so did his voice. "I see everything I love."

Her surprised expression immediately turned into a loving smile too. They smiled at each other like that for only a few seconds, before Irina leaped over to Jack. He instantly got up from the couch, and in a matter of two seconds their lips crashed on each other. They kissed deeply and passionately while hugging each other tightly. A few moments later they both needed air badly.

"Jack, I'm so sorry. I should never have hit you. I'm sorry."

"I should've listened to you when you wanted to explain. I was just feeling terrible, which is why I was so cranky. I'm sorry too." They kissed again.

"But still you had every right to be angry. And I should really have started out by apologizing. I didn't even do that."

"And I didn't give you a chance to explain later."

"I need to explain. But right now I just need you." He saw the desire in her eyes, and she saw the desire in his. "It's been nearly a week, Jack. That's too long. I want you and I want you now." They kissed passionately and deeply again. When they had caught their breaths again Irina pushed him back on the couch. "Let's get your clothes off. Right now."

* * *

Thirty minutes later Sydney, Nadia, Vaughn, and Eric were standing only a few feet away from the cabin. They took a deep breath and looked at each other.

"I hope things have change." They all nodded at Nadia.

"Only one way to find out."

They took the last steps up to the front door, and took another breath before Sydney opened the door. When they walked in they stopped dead in their tracks. They found Jack and Irina naked on the couch in the middle of making love, with Jack's clothes scattered allover the floor. Jack and Irina stared wide eyed at Sydney, Nadia, Vaughn, and Eric, before Jack covered Irina with his body and tried his best to cover them with the blankets at the same time. Sydney and Nadia stared wide eyed back at their parents for a split second before covering their eyes.

"Oh god."

"Not again." Vaughn and Eric started laughing. They didn't cover their eyes, but they looked away a little.

"I'd say they've made up."

"Actually Vaughn, I think they're in the middle of it." Jack, Sydney, and Nadia groaned. Jack and Irina were now covered each in a blanket and sitting on the couch. Irina smiled.

"Yes we were, and you have really bad timing." That earned her a groan from her husband and daughters.

From the corner of their eyes, Vaughn and Eric could see that Jack and Irina were somewhat decent, so they looked at them. Eric tried to sound serious, but he had a hard time hiding the grin on his face.

"Well, to be fair, we did say we would only be gone for a few hours. And in fact, we've been gone for about two hours now." Vaughn laughed and Eric couldn't help but laugh either. Irina smiled at them.

"Yes, you did say that. Then I guess it's our fault really. We were too caught up in the moment, to take any notice of the time. But since you're back now, you should be able to use the couch. Jack and I will just go and finish in the bedroom." She took Jack's hand and pulled him up off the couch. He stared wide eyed at her. Sydney and Nadia moved their hands from their eyes, and gaped at their mother.

"Irina, we can't." Jack was a bit reluctant, but she smiled seductively at him.

"Jack, you know we didn't finish, and we really need to do that. Let's go." He was still shocked and couldn't really resist being pulled towards the bedroom. Sydney and Nadia shook their heads at their mother, with their eyes still close to falling out.

"Mom, you can't be serious." Irina smiled at Sydney.

"Yes, I'm very serious, sweetheart. I'm always very serious when it comes to making love to your father." Sydney kept gaping even more and Nadia put her hand over her eyes. She was too shocked to say anything. Irina put her hand on the door to the bedroom and looked at everyone before walking in. Eric waved a little and smiled.

"Have fun." Irina smiled back and winked at him.

"Thank you. We will. We definitely will." She pulled Jack into the bedroom and closed the door.

Sydney and Nadia shook their heads, while Vaughn and Eric laughed. They received annoyed glares from their wives before they stormed out of the cabin. Vaughn and Eric looked at each other laughing harder, before leaving the cabin too.

* * *

A while later Jack and Irina were catching their breaths. They turned to their sides to look at each other and Jack kissed her.

"We definitely needed that."

"Yes. Now aren't you glad that we finished in here?" He let out a laugh.

"Yes, most definitely, but I can't believe they walked in on us again." He groaned while she laughed. "I'm not looking forward to leaving this room and looking them in the eyes." She laughed again.

"Well, just think how much harder it would've been to face them, if we'd told them to leave the cabin, while we finished making love on the couch." He stared a little wide eyed and she laughed from the expression on his face. He closed his eyes shut and groaned.

"I don't even want to think about that." She laughed harder and then kissed his cheek.

"Then it's a good thing we moved to the bedroom. Besides, this bed is also much more comfortable than the couch." He looked at her and smiled.

"Only with you in it." He kissed her. "I didn't sleep at all last night. I lost count of how many times I thought about going out to pick you up off the couch to bring you to the bedroom with me, so I could get a good night's sleep." She smiled back at him and caressed his cheek.

"I thought about kicking the door down, so I could crawl into bed next to you, and also get a good night's sleep." He laughed.

"Kick the door down? Wouldn't it have been better to just pick the lock?" She laughed.

"Yeah, I suppose. But I really wanted to be next to you badly. Picking the lock would take too long. Though, I'm not sure my uncle would appreciate coming back here to find one of the doors broken. And I would also have woken everyone."

"In a way, I think he would get a laugh out of it." They laughed.

"Maybe you're right." She gently caressed his jaw. "How's your jaw?" He smiled lovingly at her.

"It's fine." He took her hand in his and kissed her fingers. "About your nickname. I have a feeling that it's more than a silly childhood nickname." She tensed a little and he put his arm around her back and caressed it. "If you're ready to tell me about it, I'd love to listen." She nodded and took a deep breath before starting.

"Before being sent to the US, the KGB wanted to put me through some test. Most of them were fine, but one particular was hell. They told me that since I would be having a dirty American's hands allover me, I might as well get used to being dirty before leaving. So they poured excrements over me and told me to smear it allover myself." Jack's eyes widened a little as she continued. "I was covered in excrements all day while exercising and going through other test. They didn't let me shower until the middle of the night. By then I had been covered in excrements for nearly twenty-four hours. Throughout the entire time they insulted me and one of the names they used, was poop-head." She took another deep breath and waited a few seconds before continuing. "When…" She swallowed a few times.

"Take your time." She nodded, swallowed a few more times and went on.

"When I was in Kashmir, and I was so far along in my pregnancy that they didn't want to touch me anymore, one of the ways they tortured me, other than starving me and beating me, was having me smear excrements on myself. I would be covered in it for days and then when they finally got enough of the smell themselves, they would clean me off with high pressure hoses. Only when they would have to touch me, would they allow me to get cleaned with soap. Whenever I was smearing myself with excrements they would call me that nickname." He hugged her tighter as a tear ran down her cheek. "Then when I was kidnapped by Elena, she told me that she had given the order to have me smeared in excrements. She had told the KGB about what I did as a child, and since she didn't like how much I was liked within the KGB, she thought she'd take her anger out on me, and thereby taunt me with my childhood nickname in a crueler way than what it was like for me as a child. She wanted to humiliate me just for laughs, but told the KGB that having me smeared in excrement would be a sense of reality of life for me in the US, and it would make me stay loyal to the motherland." He kissed her forehead and continued to caress her back to comfort her. "In Kashmir she wanted to punish me for falling in love with you, and not staying true to the KGB. So again she gave the order for me to be smeared in excrements. She thought that I would love being smeared in excrements, because it would remind me of your dirty hands allover me, which I had loved so much. She told me that she thought about having me smeared in excrements again, but thought the smell would be too disgusting. She said that she'd take even more pleasure in just killing me and reviving over and over again." She buried her face in Jack's shoulder and he held her tighter.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry for what you had to go through." She looked at him and dried her tears. "Why didn't you tell me about this sooner? Why didn't you tell me in Russia five years ago, when you told me about everything else?" She shook her head a little.

"Because, it wasn't one of the worst things that happened to me. And also, it's not something I give much thought to. Yes, it was horrible to go through it, but still not as horrible as the other things they did to me. No one has called me that nickname in years, but when you did the memories came back to me and when you kept calling me that, I snapped and punched you. I just wanted the name calling to stop, but when I couldn't reason with you, after several times of telling you to stop calling me that, I saw no other way than to punch you. It was wrong and I'm sorry, but the memories just haunted me by being called that again." He kissed her cheek.

"It's okay. I understand. But you should've told me about this sooner. I'm your husband and you can tell me anything no matter how good or bad it is."

"I know, Jack, but I just didn't think it was that big of a deal." He took the hand from her back, brought it to her cheek, and caressed it gently.

"Everything about you is a big deal to me. I want to know if you're the slightest bit in pain from a paper cut, or if Marshall put a smile on your face because he was so excited about something and rambled on and on about it, making no sense to anyone but himself." She smiled a little from his last comment, and he smiled back. He looked at her with a soft expression on his face. "Is there anything else I need to know about you? Anything at all that happened to you that you're bottling up inside? You can tell me and we'll handle it together. I don't want you to torture yourself by holding on to horrible memories. Sometimes it helps to talk about it. So is there anything else I need to know about you?" She shook her head.

"No Jack. There's nothing more about me that you need to know. I think you know about all the horrible things that have happened to me. At least there's nothing I can think of at the moment. But if I do remember something, I'll tell you about it." She leaned in and kissed him.

"Good." He hugged her tighter. "I promise, I'll never call you that nickname again."

"Thank you." They stayed silent for a few moments before Jack spoke again.

"Your uncle told me that your mother told him everything about your time in the US and about your extraction and what happened after." She nodded.

"Yeah, he told me that too."

"I guess she never told him about the nickname and the pain it holds for you."

"That's because I never told my mother about that. You're the first person I've told this to." He looked at her surprised.

"You never told her about that?" She shook her head. "Why not?"

"Because the only people, who knew about the nickname, were people in my family and a few friends. But Elena was the only one, who was KGB, and therefore the only one who could've passed on the information about the name. I had a feeling she had done that, and even though she and I were hardly family anymore, she was still my mother's child. I didn't want to upset her further by telling her that I had a feeling her oldest child had a part in humiliating me." Jack nodded his understanding.

"You need to tell Sydney and Nadia about this. The guys too, since all four of them were with us these passed few days, and saw how upset you were by the nickname." She nodded. "Or if you want, I can tell them. Or I can just tell Sydney and Nadia, and they can pass it on to Vaughn and Eric." She shook her head.

"Thank you, but no. I hit you, and they need to know why I did that, so I should be the one to tell them."

"Okay." They kissed and stayed in each others arms kissing in silence for another ten minutes.

"Even though I hate getting out of bed when you're right next to me and naked, maybe we should get up now and take a quick shower. The kids got back at 3.00, and I think another hour must have passed by now, which means we leave in three hours. I know that means we could stay here for a while longer, but if we spend time with them, at least they know we're not in here making love." He groaned.

"Although I'm not thrilled about them knowing that, I would rather stay in here. It's uncomfortable being around them after they walked in on us, and I can't look them in the eyes." She gave him a kiss and looked at him a little amused.

"Do you just want to stay here, so that you can hide out?" He let out a small laugh.

"No that's not the only reason. It would be nice to do what we came in here to finish." He kissed her and then sighed. "But maybe we should get up and face the music." She laughed a little and then kissed him.

"Okay, let's get up." She got out of bed and he was about to, but instead just sat up in bed. She looked at him puzzled when he didn't get out of bed. "Why aren't you getting out of bed?"

"All my clothes are probably still scattered allover the floor out there and I assume yours are still in the bathroom." She nodded.

"Yeah, probably. So what's the problem?"

"We can't walk out there naked."

"So, we'll just wrap the blankets around us, like we did when we came in here."

"I'm not so sure about that." She laughed.

"Jack, how else are we supposed to get our clothes? If not both of us, then one of us has to go out there and get our clothes." He nodded. "Besides, I doubt that they others are out there. They're probably still outside."

"Yeah, I guess you're right. Okay let's go." He got up and after they'd wrapped themselves in the blankets, they walked outside.

Just as they came out, Vaughn and Eric had just opened the front door and were about to head out, when they saw Jack and Irina coming from the bedroom. They stopped and all four looked at each other. Jack groaned, Irina smiled sweetly, while Vaughn and Eric had a hard time hiding the grin that was plastered on their faces.

"Hi boys. Jack and I are just going to take a quick shower. Do any of you need to use the bathroom before we get in there?" Jack rolled his eyes by the uncomfortable situation he was in. Vaughn and Eric shook their heads.

"No, we were just about to go outside to have a cup of tea with Sydney and Nadia." Vaughn held up the two cups of tea he was carrying, and Eric nodded having the other two cups in his hands. Irina nodded.

"Okay, then we'll use the shower." They nodded and Eric opened the front door wider. He spotted Nadia and Sydney sitting outside and instead of walking out to them, he turned his attention back to Jack and Irina and spoke a little louder so that Nadia and Sydney could hear.

"I'm sorry, Irina, but what was that? Did you say that you and Jack were going to have a quick shower, or did you say that you were you going to have a quickie in the shower?" Jack groaned and everyone heard Sydney and Nadia groan too. Vaughn had a hard time controlling his laughter, while Eric kept a straight face. Jack glared at him.

"I think you better get outside with that tea." Eric nodded.

"Okay, we'll do that." He was about to walk out, but turned and looked at Jack and Irina again. "Oh, just one thing." Jack and Irina looked at him. "You better clean up after yourselves this time. Vaughn and I are not going to do it, like we did in Russia with all the broken glass." Eric pointed with his head at Jack's clothes, which were still on the floor. Vaughn laughed out loud, and Irina couldn't help but laugh a little. Jack glared at Eric even more.

"Get out now."

"We will. Enjoy the shower." He gave a nod and then laughed as he walked out the door, followed closely by Vaughn, who was still laughing. Jack groaned and shook his head. Irina gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"Come on. Let's pick up the clothes and take that shower."

* * *

Sydney and Nadia were shaking their heads at their husbands as they came walking towards them with the tea and still laughing their heads off. They looked at them annoyed as they took their cups of tea from them.

"I can't believe you."

"There was absolutely no reason to do that. Why can't you just keep quiet?"

"Because, it's more fun commenting on it."

"They're our parents. There's absolutely nothing funny about you commenting on them in that way."

"Oh come on, honey. Your parents made up. You should be happy about that."

"I am happy about that. Sydney and I both are."

"Your parents seemed to be happy about it too." Sydney shook her head at Vaughn, but all he and Eric did were laugh.

"Vaughn, stop it. Just stop it."

"Oh come on. The tension between them these last few days has been horrible. It's been horrible for all of us. We could all need a good laugh."

"Nadia and I aren't laughing. It's not funny to us." He shrugged and laughed a bit more.

"Well, it's funny to Eric and me." Eric laughed harder too, while Sydney and Nadia shook their heads at them and rolled their eyes.

"That's not the point. The point is tha…." She stopped talking and everyone turned to the small bathroom window, when they heard a thud. They saw Jack's hand on the window and heard Irina laughing. Sydney and Nadia stared wide eyed at the window, while Vaughn and Eric laughed harder.

"Oh no. They can't be serious. They're not actually going to…to….you know." Nadia looked at Sydney horrified and she looked back at Nadia just as horrified. They then heard another thud, and could now see Irina's head and part of her upper back in the window. They gaped, while Vaughn and Eric laughed even harder.

"Yup, I think they are." Sydney got up from her seat.

"This is so wrong. I'm getting out of here." She walked away and Nadia got up from her seat as well.

"I'm right behind you." Vaughn and Eric looked at each other and then laughed even more.

"Well, I don't really feel comfortable staying to watch the show." Eric got up too, and Vaughn nodded.

"Me either. Let's go." He got up too, and they walked off in the same direction as Sydney and Nadia.

* * *

When Jack and Irina got out of the bathroom and were decent and had cleaned up after themselves, Irina was about to head outside when Jack sighed. She turned and looked at him.

"I can't go out there. Not after what happened before we took a shower. Sydney and Nadia heard what Eric said. It only makes it harder to face them." She smiled sweetly at him.

"Then how about we just stay inside? We can wait for them to come to us, or call them when dinner is ready if they haven't come in by then." She walked towards him, placed her arms around his neck, and looked at him seductively. "We can make out on the couch to pass time. That way they can't be all that embarrassed if they walk in." He smiled back at her.

"I like the sound of that."

* * *

An hour before they were to leave Sydney, Nadia, Vaughn, and Eric still hadn't been inside the cabin since they left. Irina walked outside in search of them, and found them a good walk away from the cabin.

"Here you are." Vaughn and Eric smiled at her, while Sydney and Nadia avoided her eyes. Irina had a feeling that they were still uncomfortable with walking in on her and Jack. "I just came to tell you that dinner is just about ready. Since we're leaving in an hour we should eat." Vaughn and Eric nodded and followed Irina. However, Sydney and Nadia didn't move. Irina turned around when she could hear that they weren't following them. "Girls, are you coming?" They didn't answer her. She smiled a little amused at them. "We can't change what you saw, so you might as well come and eat. We have to leave in an hour, and since we'll be walking for three hours and it'll be a long time before you can get anything else to eat, you really need to come and eat now." They sighed knowing their mother was right, and followed her, Vaughn, and Eric back to the cabin, but without saying anything.

When they got inside Jack, Sydney, and Nadia avoided making eye contact with each other. They all sat down to eat and dinner passed mostly in silence. After a while Vaughn looked at Jack and spoke in a neutral tone.

"So, Jack." Jack looked at Vaughn as did everyone else. When he had Jack's attention, he smirked a little at him. "Did it turn out to be a problem that you didn't have that much space to move around in, in the shower?" Sydney and Nadia groaned covering their eyes and Eric started to laugh. Jack stared wide eyed at Vaughn from seeing the other's reactions, and Irina was trying to hide the grin on her face. Sydney shook her head.

"Vaughn, stop it." He ignored her, and continued to look at Jack.

"It's just that we noticed your hand on the window at one time, and a few seconds later we could see Irina's head and her upper back in the window." Jack shut his eyes and put his face in his hands, Sydney and Nadia kept shaking their heads, while Eric and Irina laughed a little. Nadia had had enough and got up.

"I'm going to check the gear to make sure we have everything, or see if we covered the van well enough, or….or…or something. All I know is that I'm not sitting here for another second." She walked outside and Sydney got up too.

"I'm leaving too." She left and Eric got up.

"Since we're leaving soon, I'll just start cleaning the cups and spoons we've used."

"I'll help." Vaughn got up too, helped clear the table and walked with Eric to the kitchen area. Irina put an arm around Jack and kissed his cheek.

"Before you know it things will be back to normal, and you, Sydney, and Nadia won't remember this." He looked at her and shook his head.

"I seriously doubt it." She smiled at him.

"Maybe not, but things will get back to normal soon, and you'll be able to look each other in the eyes again." He smiled back at her and nodded slightly, knowing that she was right.

* * *

The rest of their stay at the cabin was spent in silence. The walk to their extraction point was spent in silence too, and so was the thirty minutes they spent at the extraction point before the helicopter arrived. When it arrived, Sydney, Nadia, Vaughn, and Eric got into the helicopter first. Irina took a few seconds to look back at the forest. Jack put an arm around her.

"You'll see your uncle again. I think he wants to see Katya and Sergei again, and meet the triplets, the grandkids, and everyone else." She smiled at him and nodded. "Come on. Let's go home." Then they got in the helicopter and headed for home.

**TBC**


	14. Chapter 14

**Rishka Derevko:** I'm glad you thought it was hilarious. :-) I'm always so thrilled to hear that you love my story - thank you so much. :-) Thank you for thinking that about Irina's character *blush* - that's such a great compliment to get. I loved Irina's character too on the show, but not so much in season 5 when she was all evil. Jack was my allover favorite character. It's also a great compliment to get that my story had such an effect on you that it made you laugh so hard that you cried - thank you. *blush* Thank you and kudos and kisses to you too. :-)

**SofiaBlackBristow:** As always I'm so thrilled to hear you say you love my story - thank you so much. :-) Yes they are - for now. *devil* Kiss to you too. :-)

**NOTE:** Some of my friends and I have decided that we'd like to try and have a traditional Thanksgiving dinner, so we'll be doing that tomorrow, and it'll be at my place. A friend of mine is helping with the food, and since we'll be getting together in the morning, I'm not sure I'll have the time to post a new chapter tomorrow. I don't know when people will leave because, so if it's too late or I'm too tired, I won't be posting a chapter. So you might as well not count on one.

* * *

**Chapter 14**

Once everyone got on the plane, Sydney and Nadia walked straight to the end of the plane, not comfortable being around their parents at the moment. Irina shook her head amused by their behavior and Vaughn and Eric shrugged with a grin on their faces and went to sit next to their wives. Jack was grateful that they chose to sit in the opposite end of the plane and sat down in the front of the plane relieved. Irina shook her head at him too, laughing a little bit, and he rolled his eyes at her. She then sat down next to him, kissed his cheek and snuggled up next to him. Soon all six of them were sleeping.

Hours later they all had to sit down together to go over the details one more time of what to tell Devlin and Chase of what had been going on while they were in Russia. It was uncomfortable for Jack, Sydney, and Nadia at first, but once they started going over the details one more time they started to feel less uncomfortable. It helped too that Vaughn and Eric weren't making comments, and that Irina wasn't implying anything either.

After they discussed the details, Irina told them the story behind the nickname. They were all shocked and appalled by what she told them, and after talking through it for awhile, they all agreed not to talk about it again.

* * *

When they came back to LA they went straight to APO. Dixon, Kendall, Marshall, Carrie, Devlin, and Chase were there to get a quick report of the mission in Russia. When Jack, Irina, Sydney, Nadia, Vaughn, and Eric walked into the meeting room Marshall smiled broadly and waved at them.

"Hi guys. Welcome back. We've missed you a lot." He turned around at the others and smiled, but when he saw that Devlin and Chase weren't smiling, that Kendall and Dixon had a neutral expression on their faces, and that Carrie rolled her eyes at him, his smile faded a little and he got a little nervous and smiled apologetically at them. "Sorry." Then he turned to the others and shrugged still being a little nervous. "Well, I missed you." They all gave him a small smile and a nod and then sat down around the table. Devlin looked at Jack.

"We're all aware of what's been going on in Russia from your reports back to us. But you're absolutely sure that there was no sign of Sloane? No sign at all." Jack nodded.

"Yes, we're absolutely sure. There was no sign of him at all. We searched the area thoroughly, but there was nothing indicating he was there or ever had been there."

"So there was simply nothing there? There was nothing but forest?" Everyone looked at Jack, and Irina, Sydney, Nadia, Vaughn, and Eric looked briefly at each other from the corners of their eyes. No one took notice of that other than Dixon. Jack shook his head.

"No, nothing at all. Nothing but trees and bushes." Devlin nodded.

"What about the radio signal? You were able to get through now and then at the coordinates for Sloane's supposed whereabouts. Any idea how that happened?"

"No, no idea. It was probably because the satellite was old, and that's why we lost the signal. That's at least our conclusion." Everyone looked around at Irina, Sydney, Nadia, Vaughn, and Eric. They nodded agreeing with what Jack said. Devlin nodded back.

"Okay. Since there's nothing of importance to write in the report, you can all go home now. It's late anyway, and since I made you go on a pointless mission for so many days, I'm sure you all want to go home to your children. You can work on the report tomorrow." They all nodded.

"Thank you, but the mission wasn't pointless. We all want to catch Sloane, so if that means we have to go on missions and spend a few days to make sure he's there or not, then we're happy to do it." Devlin nodded back at Jack and smiled a little.

"We might not have caught Sloane this time, but I'm sure we will." They all nodded agreeing with that. He turned to Chase. "I have some other matters to discuss with you, which won't take long. We can talk about them on the way to the car." She nodded.

"Of course." She turned and looked at Dixon. "I'll be waiting by the car for you." He nodded.

"I won't be long." She gave him a slight smile and a polite nod to everyone else. Devlin smiled at everyone and the two of them left. Once they were out of sight Dixon looked at Jack. "So, off the record. What did you find in the forest?"

Kendall, Marshall, and Carrie looked at Dixon a little surprised, not thinking there was anything else in the forest other than what Jack had told them. They then turned their attention to Jack. Jack gave Dixon a small smile, giving him recognition for seeing that he hadn't told Devlin and everyone else the truth. Irina, Sydney, Nadia, Vaughn, and Eric briefly looked at each other and smiled a little at how easily Dixon had called their bluff. Jack then turned to Irina giving her a nod and everyone turned their attention to her. She smiled.

"We found my uncle." Dixon, Kendall, Marshall, and Carrie all looked at her curiously. Kendall shook his head confused.

"Your uncle?"

"Yes, my uncle Dmitri." Marshall smiled excitedly.

"The guy, who built gadgets?"

"Yes, him."

Kendall was still a little confused.

"Wasn't he dead?"

"Katya, Sergei, and I thought he was. None of us had heard anything from him in years and neither had anyone else who we knew, knew of him. So we just assumed that he was dead."

"So your uncle just happened to live at the location for Sloane's supposed whereabouts? Or do you think it wasn't a coincidence?" Irina shook her head.

"No, it definitely was a coincident. My uncle has never had anything to do with Sloane. He's only heard of him, but never met him. And I doubt Sloane really knows of my uncle. Besides, if Sloane's behind sending us all the way to a forest in Russia, it would make no sense to send us to my uncle on purpose. My uncle would never hurt his family." They nodded.

"So, if it was a coincident, why didn't you just tell us that your uncle lived there when you reported back to us? I mean, if you didn't suspect your uncle to be working with Sloane, why didn't you just tell us that you had found your uncle?"

"Because technically, he's still a criminal. I don't really think he's much of a wanted criminal anymore, because he was always very discreet when working, but I had also no intention of selling out my own uncle, in case anyone wanted him caught. We never knew who else from the CIA would be listening, when we contacted you at APO, which is why we didn't tell you. But we were going to tell the four of you, when we got back." They nodded their understanding.

"So, what about the lost signal and the satellite? Was he behind that?" Irina nodded.

"Yes, he was. He didn't want anyone to find him. He jammed the radio signal, and thought that if people couldn't get a radio signal through within about thirty minutes of his cabin, no one would walk further into the forest, and thereby they wouldn't find his cabin. And he also jammed the satellite signal, so no one would come and check out the cabin." She laughed a little from the expressions on their faces and then nodded. "Yeah, my uncle is a little paranoid."

"So, I was right about the satellite." Marshall smiled a little, and Irina smiled back at him.

"Yes, you were." He smiled a little prouder. Jack looked around at them.

"The information regarding Irina's uncle doesn't leave this room. We'll include in the report what we explained to directors Devlin and Chase. Although he's not a threat to anyone, there's no reason to tell anyone about him and risk governments coming after him for the crimes he committed years ago. He was never dangerous, so his past criminal activities should stay in the past." They all agreed nodding and Dixon looked at Jack.

"You can be sure that the information won't leave this room." He nodded back and Irina gave him a smile. "Since there's nothing on Sloane and nothing else of importance happened, I suggest we do as Devlin says, and go home. I'm sure you're all anxious to see the kids again." They all smiled.

"Yes, we are." They all said their goodbyes to each other and left APO.

* * *

When Jack and Irina came home they smiled at each other when they saw the front door.

"It's good to be home."

"It sure is." They noticed the light in the living room. "It seems Sergei is still up."

"I'm glad. That way I can tell him about uncle Dmitri." They walked in and when Dmitri heard the front door open he walked out to the hall to meet them.

"Hi welcome home." He smiled at them, gave Irina a kiss on the cheek and a hug, and also gave Jack a hug.

"Thank you. How have the kids been?" Sergei smiled.

"They behaved themselves like they always do." Jack and Irina smiled proudly. "And they're sound asleep at the moment." They both nodded knowing that the triplets would be sleeping by now. "So, did you get Sloane? Was he there?"

"No, unfortunately he wasn't."

"I'm sorry to hear that. So there was nothing there? Nothing at all?"

"Actually uncle Dmitri was there." Sergei was stunned at what Irina told him.

"What?" She nodded. "He's still alive?" Irina let out a small laugh.

"Yes, it surprised me too."

"Wow." He shook his head in disbelief but then nodded. "So how is the old guy?" Jack chuckled.

"I don't think he'd like you calling him old." All three of the laughed.

"So he's still the same?" Irina nodded.

"Yes, he sure is. And he's still not thrilled about you not having given it a shot in the criminal world." Sergei laughed even more.

"Well, nice to see nothing's change. He's a crazy guy at times, but also very loveable." Irina nodded. "So I guess that's why you stayed for a few days, since Sloane wasn't there after all."

"Yes. I didn't really want to miss the opportunity to spend some time with him, now that we were there anyway, and we knew that Sloane wasn't there at all. Sure we wanted to come home to the kids sooner, but we were also a little prevented from doing so." Jack and Irina exchanged looks and smiled a little. Sergei saw them and looked a little puzzled at them.

"What do you mean?" Jack looked at him.

"I got to taste your uncle's homebrew, and I wasn't feeling too good the next day. Not well enough, so I could travel through a forest all day." Sergei stared a little wide eyed.

"He made you drink his homebrew?"

"I'm afraid he did." Sergei looked at Irina.

"Our uncle is still the protecting kind. He wanted to know of Jack's intentions with me, so he kept him tied up to a chair in the basement, and forced the alcohol down his throat at first." He shook his head and looked at Jack.

"Why were you tied to a chair in the first place?"

"Because we split up into two teams, so that we could check the area from two sides. Unfortunately, your uncle spotted Sydney, Nadia, and me before we spotted him, and he shot us with tranqs." Sergei's eyes widened a little.

"Michael, Eric, and I were checking the area from the other side, and although there was something familiar about the place, I couldn't place it. All six of us were supposed to meet up after a while, but when Jack and the girls didn't show up after a while, I went back to the cabin. When I got closer, I noticed the tree where I carved my own name years ago. I went to the basement, and told uncle, who they were. He wouldn't release Jack until he'd talk to him, and you know how uncle is. It's not exactly wise to go against him." Sergei shook his head and laughed a little bit.

"I'm sorry, Jack. It's not you I'm laughing at, but our crazy uncle."

"It's quite alright. Yeah, he's a bit crazy. He put the bottle to my mouth, and covered my nose, so I had no other choice than to swallow. He did that a few times, until the alcohol started to affect me, and then he untied me, and unfortunately I started to drink his homebrew voluntarily." Sergei shook his head. "His homebrew actually grows on you after you've had so much that you can no longer taste it. But it's not something I plan on enjoying in the future, if I get the opportunity." They all laughed.

"No, I don't blame you. No one should have to drink that stuff." They laughed again. "So was it simply a coincident that you were giving those coordinates or do you think there's something else behind it?" Jack and Irina shook their heads.

"It was a coincident. No one knew uncle was alive. Well, only a few of his friends, who live in the area, but that's it. And he and Sloane have also never worked together. Uncle knows of Sloane from what he's heard, but I doubt Sloane knows of our uncle. And if Sloane is the one, who sent us those coordinates, he wouldn't have known uncle was there, because uncle is the one who jammed the signal to the satellite, so it seems that the forest is deserted."

"So, you think Sloane is the one, who sent you the coordinates?"

"We don't really know who else it could've been. But we also don't know what his reasons would be for getting us out of the country. Nothing has been going on anywhere in the world while we've been away that would make him want us out of the country. No weapon deals, nothing involving money. There hasn't been any activity in Mongolia either at the cave where Rambaldi's tomb is buried."

"Well, if he's about to show himself, then I'm sure you'll catch him this time."

"Yeah that's what we're hoping." They all looked at each other nodding.

"It's getting late, and I'm sure you'd like to get some sleep. We can talk again tomorrow, and I can catch up on everything regarding uncle."

"Yes, we should get to bed. Are you staying or going home?"

"I'm staying. I don't really see the point in going home at this late hour."

"Good. Then we'll see you tomorrow at breakfast. Goodnight Sergei." She gave him a hug and a kiss on the cheek.

"Goodnight." He looked at Jack. "Goodnight Jack." Jack smiled back.

"Goodnight. See you in the morning."

They walked upstairs and went into Caitie's room first. They looked at her sleeping for a few seconds, gave her a kiss on the head, and moved on to Maddie's room. They did the same with her, and then moved on to Ethan's room and did the same. When they got into their own bedroom they got ready for bed and soon were under the covers. Irina sighed contently.

"It's good to be in our own bed again."

"It sure is." She got on top of Jack and kissed him passionately.

"So I know we told Sergei that we'd like some sleep, but I'm not really tired. Are you?" He smiled at her.

"Well technically, we didn't tell him we were going to sleep. You just agreed with him that we should go to bed."

"Yes, I did say that, didn't I?" She looked at him seductively.

"Yes, you did. And the answer to your question is no. I'm not tired." He caught her lips in another passionate kiss.

"Good, because I think we still need to make up for the last couple of days where we were fighting."

"Oh, I definitely think so too." They grinned at each other and kissed again, which led them to making love twice that night.

* * *

The next morning Jack and Irina got up and went to Ethan's bedroom. Irina gave him a kiss on his head, and stroked him gently on his head.

"Sweetheart, time to wake up. Time for school." Ethan slowly opened his eyes, and became fully awake when he saw his parents. He smiled broadly and hugged his mother first.

"Mommy, daddy, you're home." He then hugged his father and Jack gave him a kiss. "I missed you."

"We missed you too. Now time to get up."

"Okay." He got out of bed and Jack and Irina went to Maddie's room. Irina also kissed her and stroked her head gently.

"Sweetheart, it's time for school." Maddie woke up and smiled when she saw her parents. She then hugged both of them and Jack gave her a kiss.

"I'm glad you're home. I've missed you."

"We've missed you too." They smiled at each other again.

"We just need to wake up Caitie, and then we'll get started on breakfast, so you should get up." Maddie nodded and started to get out of bed as Jack and Irina left to wake up Caitie.

Once in Caitie's room, Irina woke her up the same way she'd woken up Ethan and Maddie.

"Sweetheart, time to wake up." Caitie slowly opened her eyes and smiled when she saw her parents.

"You're home." She hugged her mother and then hugged her father, and Jack gave her a kiss, like he'd done with his other children.

"Yes, we are."

"I've missed you. Ethan and Maddie missed you too." Jack and Irina smiled.

"Yeah, we know, and we missed all three of you terribly."

"Time to get up."

"Okay." Caitie got up as Jack and Irina left.

A short while later the triplets came downstairs, and Jack and Irina had breakfast ready. Sergei came down a few seconds later. Soon all six of them sat down to eat.

"So, did you three have fun while mommy and I were away?"

"Yes, we did."

"That's great to hear. You can tell us about it, when school is over. We'll be off work by then, so is there anywhere you'd like to go?" The triplets smiled looking at their parents. Then they looked at each other, and without saying anything to each other they looked back on their parents and answered simultaneously.

"The zoo." Jack, Irina, and Sergei laughed a little.

"The zoo sounds like a great idea. It's been awhile since we've been there." The triplets nodded.

"So, did you have a nice trip?" Jack and Irina looked at each other and then smiled. Irina looked back at Maddie.

"It had its nice moments." Jack and Irina looked at each other again and smiled again. Irina then looked back at the triplets. "We met uncle Dmitri. Remember I told you about him? Your grandfather's youngest brother?" They nodded.

"Wasn't he dead?"

"Katya, Sergei, and I thought he was, but apparently he wasn't."

"No, he was indeed very much alive." Irina looked over at Jack, who ran a hand over his head, and they shared a small laugh. Irina shook her head at him and then looked back at the kids.

"He lives very secluded, which is why we never knew he was alive."

"Will he come and visit us?"

"We asked him to, but he couldn't make that promise. He might though, one day."

"I hope he does."

"Yes, he should meet aunt Katya and uncle Sergei too, now that he met you again, mommy." Irina nodded.

"Yeah, I would like him to do that too." Sergei nodded.

"I'd like to meet him again. It's been years." He looked over at Irina. "I'm sure he'll come for a visit." She nodded back.

"Yeah, I hope so too."

"We all hope that." Irina looked over at Jack, who smiled lovingly at her. She smiled back the same way and then looked at the triplets.

"Your father and I can tell you more about uncle Dmitri this afternoon. We're off soon, so you should finish your breakfast." They nodded and everyone continued with breakfast.

* * *

At APO Jack, Irina, Sydney, Nadia, Vaughn, and Eric wrote the report on the mission to Russia as they had explained it to Devlin and Chase. They had told Dixon, Kendall, Marshall, and Carrie more about Dmitri, but had left out the part where he got Jack drunk and how he interrogated him in the basement. That also included not telling them about Irina's nickname and about her and Jack arguing for most of their stay.

When the triplets got out of school, Jack and Irina picked them up and the five of them went to the zoo. They shared about their time away from each other, and the triplets eagerly talked about what they'd been doing with Sergei and how much fun they'd had. They had a great time at the zoo. Or at least most of them had a great time at the zoo for the entire stay. Jack had an unpleasant moment.

When they got home late in the afternoon the triplets went to their rooms to put their backpacks away. Luckily they had done all their homework for the next day, which meant that they were able to stay at the zoo longer. Jack and Irina went to the kitchen and he got a bottle of water out of the fridge. He grunted before taking a sip of the water.

"Damn goat." Irina laughed at him.

"Oh come on, sweetheart. It's not that bad." He rolled his eyes at her.

"See how you'd like it, if you were the one bitten on the butt by a goat." She laughed at him even more. "Why do goats always have to bite my butt?" She walked over to him and squeezed his butt.

"Goats have good taste. Speaking as someone who's bitten your butt several times, I know what I'm talking about." He rolled his eyes at her smiling, and she captured his lips in a passionate kiss. "You might as well realize that you have an adorable butt." He rolled his eyes again.

"Adorable, my a…" He looked at her and they laughed.

"Exactly." She gave his butt another squeeze. "And it's nice and firm too." He shook his head at her. She looked at him hungrily. "If you want, I can kiss it and make it better." He swallowed by the look in her eyes.

"I don't think that's such a good idea. The kids will be down soon." She leaned closer and whispered huskily in his ear.

"Then how about I kiss it later tonight, when the kids are tucked in their beds?" He swallowed as she started to suck on his earlobe.

"Bite it, kiss it, squeeze it. Do whatever you want with it. I don't think I'll have any arguments."

"Well then, Mr. Bristow. It seems you get to go to the zoo and the amusement park all in the same day." He moaned as she started to kiss his neck.

"Lucky me." She took his face in her hands and locked eyes with him.

"And lucky me." They smiled at each other and their lips crashed on each other in another passionate kiss.

They were still kissing when the triplets came back down. They didn't really pay attention to their parents, but started coloring on the clean sheets of paper that they brought down with them. When they broke the kiss they were both breathless. Jack looked at Irina hungrily.

"I think we'll be in for some wild ri…" He stopped talking when he noticed that the triplets were sitting at the table, and his face turned a little red. Irina who had her back turned to the triplets looked at him a little oddly from the expression on his face and turned to see the triplets. Her eyes shot up a little too in surprise that they were in the kitchen. She looked back at Jack. He leaned in closer and whispered so they wouldn't hear. "When did they come back down?" Irina shook her head.

"I don't know. I didn't hear them. I guess we were a little distracted." Jack chuckled a little.

"Yeah, I guess we were." She smiled back at him, gave him a quick kiss before they went over to the triplets.

"So what are the three of you drawing?" Maddie looked at her mother.

"I'm drawing a picture of daddy being bitten by a goat."

"Me too." Ethan grinned and Caitie nodded.

"That's also what I'm drawing." Irina laughed while Jack groaned slightly.

"We have to remember to put all three of the drawings on the fridge." Jack shook his head.

"No, we don't." They all laughed at him.

"But, daddy, it was funny that the goat bit you."

"And it was even more fun to see you run away from it." He rolled his eyes as Irina laughed harder.

"I'm glad you all think it's so funny." Ethan grinned at his father.

"We do, daddy. A lot." Jack shook his laughing along with the others.

"You're going to tease me all night, aren't you?" They all laughed.

"Of course, daddy." He shook his head smiling and he and Irina sat down next to the triplets for awhile.

The triplets and Irina had kept up the teasing for the rest of the evening. Shortly before it was their bedtime, Jack had gotten back at them, by tickling them all mercifully. They tickled him a bit too and the triplets helped Jack tickle Irina. When they tucked the triplets in bed and met up in the hall, Irina pushed Jack up against the wall and kissed him passionately, leaving them both breathless.

"How about you and I go to bed too, and I check and see if the goat left any teeth marks?"

"That sounds like a good idea. But what if the goat didn't leave any teeth marks?"

"Well, then I can remedy that." She winked at him and he let out a small laugh.

"I think I'll settle for a hickey."

"I can do that too." They kissed again.

"Then let's go to the amusement park." She grabbed him by his belt and they hurried to their bedroom.

* * *

A week and a half later at APO, Jack noticed Irina standing by the coffeemaker getting a cup of coffee to go. She was on her way out of the door to go to CIA headquarters to teach. The week and a half since coming home from Russia had been great. They'd spent a lot of time making up for the days they'd been fighting. At one time at work they'd even called each other by their titles, but this time Jack had made sure that no one else was around to hear them. As she walked toward the door he got another idea. He followed her and called out to her when she was at the door and there was no one else who could hear them.

"Excuse me." Irina heard the difference in Jack's voice, and thought he might be up to something. Going by instinct she played along.

"Yes?" He caught up to her and smiled sincerely.

"I couldn't help but notice you when you got a cup of coffee. I don't believe I've seen you around before. Are you new?" She smiled back at him and knew what he was up to.

"No, actually I've been working here for quite a few years now. Almost five." Jack smiled apologetically.

"Oh. I'm so sorry I haven't introduced myself sooner then. My name is Jack." He held out his hand and she shook it.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Irina."

"Irina. What a beautiful name." He caressed her hand with his thumb.

"Thank you. It's kind of you to say." She smiled sincerely, and pulled her hand back.

"I run this place along with two assistant directors, so I feel so ashamed that I haven't introduced myself sooner. I should know my staff better." She shrugged.

"It's a big place, with many important things to take care of. I'm sure you've been quite busy."

"Well yes, but that's still no excuse. Can I make it up to you? Perhaps take you out to dinner sometime?"

"That's a very kind offer, but I'm afraid I can't."

"Oh? May I ask why not?"

"Well first of all, I believe you're flirting with me and that there's a different reason for you wanting to take me to dinner then just making up for not introducing yourself sooner. Secondly and more importantly, I'm happily married." She held up her left hand with her wedding ring on. He smiled recognizing that she'd just turned the game around. He then nodded.

"I didn't realize. But I assure you, I have no other ulterior motive other than to make up for not introducing myself sooner."

"Is that so?"

"Yes, absolutely." She smiled sincerely at him.

"Even if that's the case, I still have to decline. I prefer to spend the evenings with my husband." He nodded. "From the looks of it, you're married too." She pointed at his wedding ring. He smiled back.

"Yes, I am."

"Are you happily married?"

"Oh yes, very much so."

"Then I'm sure your wife wouldn't want you to ask out other women, even if it's just to make up for not introducing yourself sooner." He let out a small laugh.

"No, she certainly wouldn't want that." They smiled at each other. "If you don't mind me saying, your husband is a very lucky man." She shook her head slightly.

"No, believe me, I'm the lucky one." They stood smiling at each other for a few seconds more. "If you'll excuse me, I need to be going. I have to teach a class."

"Of course. I won't stand in your way. Maybe we can have coffee some time here. That way I can get to know you better. I assure you it'll be on a completely professional level." She nodded.

"I think I can do that." She reached her hand out to him. "It was a pleasure to meet you, Jack." He shook it.

"You too, Irina." They shared another smile and she left.

Once she had gone, Jack laughed to himself a little. It hadn't gone they way he'd thought, but she'd played along and he could still work with it. He decided to stop by a flower shop on his way home, and tonight he would apologize to his wife for hitting on another woman. He smiled to himself all the way back to his office.

* * *

Hours later Irina went to pick up Ethan from soccer practice. She'd had a terrible day at headquarters. Her students had been absolutely incompetent and she had explained the same things over and over again. When she was done teaching, she thought she'd have plenty of time to look over their homework assignments, but instead Chase had given her some other work to do. She told her that she had to have it done in two hours, so Irina was forced to work faster than she normally did in order to accommodate Chase's wishes. That had started a headache. She had been looking forward to spending the rest of the afternoon with the triplets until Jack got home, but since she hadn't had time to go over the homework assignments at headquarters, she had to take care of them when she got home. That would more than likely not only take the rest of the afternoon, but all evening too. She'd been able to take a quick glance at one of the assignments and noticed it was full of flaws, which led her to believe that going through the assignments would take longer than usual.

As she walked closer, she noticed Michelle and Carol. She rolled her eyes not really wanting to get anywhere near them. But then she thought that maybe those bimbos could actually cheer her up a little. It they ended up talking about Jack, she could always walk into view at the right moment, make a few remarks and shut them up. Deciding to go with that plan, she walked as close as she could get to them, while still staying in hiding.

"So, is Brad off flying again?" Carol nodded.

"Yeah, he'll be away for the rest of the week. How's Stan?" Michelle shook her head.

"Who cares. As long as he's not near me, I'm happy. But you know who I would love to have near me?"

"Who?"

"Jack Bristow." The women shared a laugh and Irina rolled her eyes at them.

"Oh yes, who wouldn't want him nearby. That muscular body of his drives me crazy."

"Yeah, me too." Irina couldn't help but shake her head at them. "And you know what?"

"No, tell me." Michelle licked her lips.

"He wants me." Irina had to put a hand over her mouth so they wouldn't hear her laughing. Carol grinned.

"He does?"

"Oh yes absolutely. It's all in his body language. I can tell he wants to run his hands allover me. He wants me badly." Irina's body was shaking with laughter. It had definitely been a good idea to hide and listen in on their conversation.

"Oh you're so lucky."

"Yes, I know."

"So, when do you think he'll make his move?" Michelle shrugged.

"I can't tell for sure, but it'll happen soon. Very soon."

"I guess he has to get rid of Irina first. That woman really clings to him way too much. No wonder he wants you. I never did understand what he saw in her in the first place. She obviously must have gotten her claws into him somehow. Jack's a smart man. I can't believe he would voluntarily want to be with her."

"Well, obviously she must have worked as a whore or something." Irina was about to make her presence known, but froze when she heard what Michelle said.

"You think?"

"Oh yes, it makes perfect sense. Why else would he be with her. Jack's a gentleman, and he would be with a woman of class, which Irina doesn't have. She's obviously tricked him in some kind of way to be with her."

"But don't they have two daughters, who are much older than the triplets?"

"I don't for one second believe that they're Jack's. She probably got pregnant by some client, and couldn't afford to get rid of them. I'm not even sure that the triplets are Jack's."

"But they look like him. Well, Ethan does and Caitie does too."

"Well then that would be the part where Irina tricked him. She probably had a hard time making ends meet, and Jack slept with her to give her money. She saw her way out of the gutter, got pregnant on purpose, and forced him to stay with her. Jack's too much of a gentleman to turn her down and to run out of his responsibility."

"But haven't they been married for about forty years or something like that?"

"I don't believe that either. I think it's just a story to make up for Irina's past. I doubt Jack wants people to know that he's married to a whore. So, they came up with a cover story where they pretend to have been married for that long, and he got Irina's daughters to call him dad." Carol shrugged.

"I guess that makes sense."

"Oh it makes perfect sense. I'm telling you that Irina worked as a whore when she met Jack."

"Poor Jack."

"Yes absolutely. That's why he wants me so badly. He wants away from that horrible wife of his and be with a real woman." They laughed and Michelle took Carol by the hands. "Come on. Let's get a cup of coffee from the vending machine, and we can talk about Jack some more." They left laughing.

Irina waited until they were completely gone to come out from her hiding. She wiped a tear from her eyes and sighed. Hiding out hadn't turned out to be the best idea after all. She stood gathering herself and a few seconds later Carrie arrived.

"Hi Irina." Irina turned and smiled at Carrie.

"Hi Carrie." She eyed Irina a little sensing that something was wrong.

"What's wrong?" Irina shook her head.

"Oh it's nothing. My students were just really horrible today. Very incompetent. I had to explain the same things to them over and over again, and still they didn't understand. Then when I thought I'd have time to look through their assignments, Chase gave me some other work to do. She put a lot of pressure on me, and I didn't get time to look through the assignments. I have to do that when I get home, which will more than likely take the rest of the afternoon and evening. I had hoped to spend time with the triplets before Jack got home, but I doubt that'll happen. I'm just exhausted and have a bit of a headache." She didn't really want to tell Carrie what she'd just heard. Not that Carrie wouldn't be good to talk to, but she just didn't feel like talking about it at the moment. It was a bit too painful. Carrie nodded.

"Okay. I have some aspirins, if you want some." She smiled at Carrie.

"Thank you, but it's not that bad now. If it gets worse, I'll take some when I get home." Carrie nodded and spotted Mitchell and Ethan running towards them.

"Here come our boys." Irina turned and smiled when she saw Ethan.

"Hi mommy." He hugged her and Irina hugged him tightly, holding on to him for a few seconds more than usual. She gave him a kiss on the head.

"Hi sweetheart. Did you boys have a good practice?"

"Yes, we did."

"We're really looking forward to the upcoming game, aunt Irina." Irina smiled at Mitchell.

"That's good to hear. We're all looking forward to seeing you play." She looked back at Ethan. "We should get home. I have a lot of work to do, and we need to pick up your sisters on the way." He nodded.

"Okay mommy." He looked at Carrie and Mitchell. "Bye Mitchell, bye aunt Carrie." Mitchell waved.

"Bye Ethan. See you at work tomorrow, Irina." Irina smiled back at Carrie.

"Yes, see you tomorrow. Bye Mitchell."

"Bye."

* * *

When Irina and the triplets came home they all sat down at the table together. The triplets started on their homework, and Irina helped when they needed help while she also went through the assignments. When the triplets were done with their homework, they went upstairs so Irina could work in peace. It hadn't only been one assignment that had been full of flaws. They'd all been like that, and she was getting more and more tired and frustrated with every assignment she went through. Her headache was getting worse too. She knew Jack wouldn't be home until dinner time, so she had that to take care of too. When she started on dinner, she was only half through with the assignments.

Just before Jack walked in the front door, he smiled to himself. He was looking forward to continuing their little game from work this morning. When he walked inside he could smell dinner, and walked straight to the kitchen. He was happy to see that the triplets weren't there. That would make him able to carry out his plan sooner.

She hadn't noticed him walk into the kitchen, and therefore didn't notice his face shift from a grin to one of guilt. He on the other hand didn't know that she'd just spent the last ten minutes swearing in Russian.

"Irina." Surprised by the hesitation in his voice, and that he was home, she turned around to see him standing there with a huge bucket of flowers in his hand and a guilty expression on his face. She smiled at him.

"Hi, your home." She wanted nothing more than to just be held by him, and was just about to throw her arms around him when he shook his head. She was confused by his actions and still didn't understand the expression on his face. "Jack, what's wrong?"

"Uh, I did something today that I shouldn't have."

"Okay. What did you do?"

"Before I tell you, I want you to know how sorry I am. I didn't mean for it to happen. It sort of just did." She looked at him more confused. "There's no excuse for what I did, but I bought these for you." He handed her the flowers. "I know it's pathetic really for me to buy these for you, but it was all I could think of at the moment. Whatever I have to do to make it up to you, I'll do it." She nodded.

"Whatever you've done, I'm sure it's not that bad."

"No, it's bad." She got more and more confused.

"Sweetheart, you can tell me anything. Just tell me, and we'll move on from there." He nodded.

"I…I…." He shook his head and she looked at him confused and a little concerned.

"Jack?" He looked at her briefly but then looked down.

"I…I hit on another woman." He looked up after a few seconds, but the grin on his face quickly vanished when he saw the complete confused look on Irina's face. He got a little concerned and took her by the hand. "I'm talking about you. Remember this morning at APO before you left? We were pretending that we just met." She closed her eyes, nodding and ran a hand through her hair.

"Yes, I remember." He put his hands on her upper arms.

"You didn't actually think I was serious, did you?" She smiled at him.

"No, of course not. It's just that I've had an exhausting day, and I'm really tired now and on top of that I have a terrible headache." He pulled her into a hug and she hugged him back tightly.

"Are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine." She was still hugging him tightly and he wasn't convinced.

"Somehow I doubt it. There's more to this than just exhaustion." He kept her in his arms but looked at her now. "What's wrong?"

"Incompetent students and Chase. The students were hopeless, and after class, when I thought I would have time to go over their assignments, Chase gave me some work that I had to work on faster than usual. That just tired me out. I'd hoped to finish with the assignments before picking up the kids, but I never got a chance. I've spent all the time at home looking through the assignments, and will be doing that for the rest of the evening too. My students did just as horrible on the assignments as they did in class." He eyed her a little.

"There's something else. What is it?" She gave him a small smile and shook her head a little.

"I'll tell you later. Dinner is almost ready."

"Okay. But you'll tell me later." She nodded.

"Yes, I promise." He nodded and kissed her. She kissed him back eagerly and they stood kissing for a couple of minutes.

They were still kissing when Maddie came down.

"Mommy, is dinner ready soon? Hi daddy." Jack and Irina kept looking at each other and kissing.

"Hi sweetheart."

"Yes, dinner will be ready soon. We'll call you." Maddie nodded.

"Okay." She then left and they were still kissing. A few seconds later they broke for air again and Jack shook his head a little, laughing slightly.

"We're terrible parents. We can't even keep our hands off each other long enough to look at our daughter, when she comes and asks us something. And I should've gone upstairs and said hi." She shook her head laughing a little.

"Jack, you only got home a few minutes ago. And because I didn't pick up on the game from this morning, you were hearing about why I didn't." She gave him a kiss. "It didn't sound like Maddie was upset, and I'm sure she doesn't mind seeing her parents kissing. But why don't you go upstairs and spend time with them until dinner." She kissed him again.

"But what about dinner and the table?"

"I'll set the table and dinner is under control. I'll call when it's done." He gave her a quick kiss.

"Okay, if you say so." He smiled and headed upstairs.

* * *

He found the triplets in their playroom. He stood there just watching them for awhile until Caitie noticed him.

"Hi daddy." Ethan and Maddie looked up as well and smiled.

"Hi kids." He walked around giving them all a kiss and a hug before joining them on the floor. "I'm sorry I didn't come up here sooner, and Maddie I'm sorry that mommy and I didn't really pay attention to you downstairs a little while ago." They all smiled at him.

"You did pay attention to me, daddy." He smiled back.

"And it's okay, you didn't come here sooner. Maddie told us that you and mommy were kissing."

"We like to see you and mommy kissing." They grinned and Jack smiled a little shyly.

"Yeah?"

"Yes, because it means that you and mommy are in love. Not all parents are like that."

"Jeff's parents are not like you and mommy."

"No, they fight a lot." Jack looked around at them.

"Do they fight when you're at their place?" Caitie shrugged.

"Sometimes. Other times they don't talk at all."

"And sometimes they don't talk much to Jeff either." Jack put an arm around Ethan and hugged him.

"I'm sorry to hear that, and I'm sorry for Jeff's sake." He motioned for Caitie and Maddie to come closer too, and when they did he hugged them too. "I love you. Very much." They smiled at him.

"We know, daddy."

"We love you too."

"Very much." They smiled at each other and hugged again. Seconds later they heard Irina calling that dinner was ready.

"Let's go."

Jack went to the bedroom to remove his tie and jacket while the triplets washed up. They met up in the hall and went downstairs together. The triplets walked over to their mother and hugged her.

"We love you, mommy."

"Very much." She smiled back at them.

"I love you too."

"We know."

They smiled at each other and the triplets walked over to sit at the table. Irina looked back at Jack who smiled at her. He then put his arm around her waist, pulled her to him, and kissed her soundly on the lips. The triplets giggled and Irina looked from Jack to them and back to Jack again. He shrugged at her and when she wasn't looking he winked at the triplets.

* * *

After dinner Irina went back to looking over the assignments while Jack did the dishes. After he and the triplets played a cardboard game, while Irina was still busy with the assignments. When it was bedtime for the triplets Jack and Irina tugged them in together, and then Irina went back to the assignments. Two hours after that she came into the living room. Jack looked up at her from his book.

"All done?" She sighed deeply and ran her hands over her face.

"Yeah, finally."

"Good. Now take off your clothes and bra." She looked at him and let out a small laugh.

"Sweetheart, I'd love too, but I'm too tired tonight. I'm sorry." He shook his head laughing a little.

"No that's not what I meant. Well, it's not that I don't want to." She smiled back at him. He put the book on the table and picked up a bottle of massage oil. "I just thought you could use a massage." She smiled lovingly at him.

"A message sounds wonderful. Thank you." He nodded and she stripped out of her clothes and bra.

After twenty minutes of silence with Irina enjoying her massage, Jack broke the silence.

"So are you ready to tell me what else has been bothering you?" She sighed and nodded.

"It was something Blondie and one of the bimbos said." Jack nodded.

"Okay. So I know that you're referring to Michelle, and since you picked Ethan up from soccer practice, I'm assuming that the bimbo was Carol."

"Yeah, those are the ones."

"So, what happened?"

"Well, after an exhausting day at headquarters, I actually thought those bimbos could cheer me up. So when I saw them I decided to stay in hiding and listen in on their conversation. I thought that maybe they would talk about you, and if they did, I would then walk out from my hiding and shut them up." Jack smiled.

"I can see how that would cheer you up." She let out a small laugh.

"Yeah, exactly."

"But given your mood, I have a feeling that they were far from cheering you up."

"Yeah." Moments of silence went by without Irina saying anything.

"Irina, what did they say that made you so tense?" She took a couple of deep breaths.

"Well, they did start out by talking about your muscular body and how much they wanted to be near you. Then Michelle went on to say that your body language told her that you wanted her badly and wanted to run your hands allover her. She then told Carol that you would make your move soon." Jack shook his head.

"That's absurd. My body language doesn't say I want her. It never has and since she was rude to Caitie at parents' night in February, I've done what I can to avoid her."

"I know."

"So what happened after that? I can't believe that was what upset you."

"No that made me laugh."

"I bet."

"But then Carol went on to say that she didn't understand how I had gotten my claws into you, because as the smart man that you are, you wouldn't voluntarily want to be with me." She sighed and Jack caressed her back.

"And?"

"And then Michelle said that I must have been a whore in my past and tricked you to be with me." Jack stopped what he was doing.

"What?" Irina nodded.

"When Carol went on to say that Sydney and Nadia were our daughters, Michelle told her that she didn't believe that you were their father. She said that I probably got pregnant by a client and couldn't afford to get rid of them. She then said that you were probably not the father to the triplets either. But when Carol pointed out that Ethan looks a lot like you and that Caitie looks like you too, Michelle said that, that was probably how I tricked you into marrying me. That you slept with me out of pity and to give me money, but that I got pregnant on purpose, because I saw that as my way out of the gutter and that's how I forced you to be with me, because you were too much of a gentleman to run out on your responsibility." Jack shook his head frustrated.

"I don't believe it."

"Then when Carol pointed out that we'd been married for forty years, Michelle told her that she didn't believe that either. That it was probably a cover story, because you didn't want anyone to know that you married a whore. Also that Sydney and Nadia called you 'dad' to go along with the cover story, so that everyone would think that you're their father." She sighed. "Yeah, Michelle did a pretty good job at convincing Carol that I had worked as a whore prior to meeting you, and that you now wanted her, because you wanted to be with a real woman, and get away from your horrible wife." He lay down next to her and gathered her in his arms.

"I thought you never paid any attention to what they were saying. Especially Michelle."

"It just brought back memories from….you know." She didn't have to say Kashmir. He knew that, that's what she meant.

"I know." He caressed her back. "But it's not true. It never was. You know that."

"But still memories are memories. And they hurt like hell." She snuggled closer into his embrace and he kissed her forehead.

"Don't pay any attention to what they're saying. To hell with what they think. They're just jealous of you." He kissed her forehead again. "I know it's hard considering what they said and given your past, but please forget what they said. They mean nothing and so do their opinions."

"I know, but it's just a little hard." He nodded and held her closer. They stayed like that for another thirty minutes. Jack then kissed her forehead again and looked at her.

"Let's go to bed. Sleep will do you good." She nodded.

"Yeah, I'm almost falling asleep right here on the floor."

They got up off the floor, and while Jack went to set the alarm and turn off the lights, Irina put her shirt and pants back on. She met up with him in the hall and hand in hand they walked upstairs to their bedroom. Once under the covers they lay facing each other. Jack picked up her hand and kissed it.

"You know what I'm going to do at work tomorrow?" She shook her head.

"No, what?" He smiled.

"I'm going to hit on my wife." That earned him a big smile from Irina. She leaned in and kissed him.

"I love you, Jack."

"I love you too, Irina." They kissed again and she snuggled closer to him, wrapping her arms around him and using his chest as her pillow. He wrapped his arms around her too, and within long they were both sound asleep.

**TBC**


	15. Chapter 15

**SofiaBlackBristow:** Thank you for saying that - you're much too kind. *blush* I'm glad you loved that part. :-)

* * *

**Chapter 15**

A week later, Kendall was pacing a bit at APO. Vaughn noticed him on his way to get a cup of coffee, and thought it was a bit odd. When he got to the coffeemaker, he met Sydney and Nadia.

"Do you guys know what's up with Kendall?"

"Katya is on her way."

"Oh. Well, I guess, I should've guessed by the way he's acting." He poured himself a cup of coffee and then looked back at them. "But should that really be a problem? I mean, I know how he usually gets when she's coming, but he's pacing a little more than usual."

"I think it's because they haven't seen each other since my birthday. And you know what happened there. Or rather the day before." Vaughn looked at Sydney surprised.

"What? Your birthday was more than a month ago. He can't honestly be worried about seeing her, when it's been more than a month since he had her locked up." Nadia shrugged.

"Well, you know how angry Katya got, and how they acted at the birthday dinner. I wouldn't put it passed her to still hold a grudge, and I think Kendall is preparing himself for the worst." He nodded.

"Yeah, I see your point. But still they must have talked to each other since your birthday. He's her contact person, so I'd assume she has had to call in from time to time." Sydney nodded.

"Yes, dad said they had. But from what Kendall has told him, they only discussed details regarding her whereabouts and work, and that was it. They've only talked for a few seconds each time."

"I see." He took a sip of his coffee. "Well, I hope they're not going to act like they did at your birthday. But if they haven't really talked for more than a month than maybe it's better, if they don't talk to each other more than they have to." Sydney and Nadia shrugged.

"Yeah, probably. Though, I do hope they've moved passed the whole incident." Nadia nodded and looked in Kendall's direction.

"I guess we're about to find out. Kendall is leaving now, so I guess Katya is here." Sydney and Vaughn looked in Kendall's direction too, and then the three of them looked at each other.

"Let's cross our fingers and hope for the best." Nadia and Vaughn nodded agreeing with Sydney.

Kendall walked out to meet Katya at the door. He sighed on his way out there not really knowing what to expect. When he reached the entrance he met up with one of the guards.

"Do you know how close Ms. Derevko is?"

"She'll be here in two minutes, sir."

"Thank you." The guard nodded back and Kendall stood there waiting with him.

To Kendall the two minutes seemed more like an eternity. Seconds before Katya walked in, he decided to be polite towards her like he always was. When she walked in she smiled at the guard.

"Nice to see you again, Evan." He smiled back.

"You too, Ms. Derevko." Kendall smiled sincerely at her.

"Hello Katya. It's nice to see you again." She glared at him angrily. He waited for her to say something, but when she hadn't said anything for a few seconds, he sighed. "Fine, don't say anything. I'll just sign you in, so you can get to work."

He signed her in, and the second he'd done that, she walked passed him, pushing him out of the way and walked away. He let out a frustrated grunt and shook his head slightly. Then he took a deep breath and followed her.

Sydney, Nadia, and Vaughn were still standing by the coffeemaker when they noticed Katya walking in. A few seconds later they saw Kendall too. They looked at each other.

"Something tells me that they haven't gotten passed the incident. Or at least it seems that Katya hasn't."

"Yeah, I think you're right." They smiled at Katya as she walked towards them.

"Hello girls. Hi Michael." Sydney and Nadia gave her a hug and Vaughn gave her a nod.

"Hi Katya."

"It's good to see you again."

"Likewise. How are the children?"

"They're fine. Isabelle and Sarah are very excited about Ethan and Mitchell's upcoming soccer match."

"Becky is too." Katya smiled at them.

"That's nice to hear. I'm looking forward to the soccer match as well."

"We all are." Kendall walked over to them and spoke kindly to Katya.

"I hate to break up the family gathering, but Katya, you have some urgent work waiting for you." She ignored him and went on to talk to the others.

"Has anything exciting happened while I've been away? Well, I know that you didn't catch Sloane." She leaned a little closer and kept her voice to a whisper. "And I know who else you met." She spoke normally again. "But other than that?" Sydney, Nadia, and Vaughn looked behind Katya at Kendall. They could tell he was a bit annoyed with Katya. However, he still spoke politely to her.

"Katya, you have work waiting for you. Could you please get to it?" She still ignored him.

"So, anything?" Sydney smiled sincerely.

"No, nothing really. But we should probably catch up later. Since you have urgent work to get to, you should get to work."

"Yeah, we should get to work too." Katya nodded.

"Yes, I suppose. Well, I'll catch up with you later then." They all nodded and left. Katya then turned around to get herself a cup of coffee and she took her time. Kendall shook his head a bit frustrated.

"Would you hurry up." She shot him an angry glare. He glared right back at her. "You're here to work. You can socialize when you don't have important work to attend to. Other people depend on the work you do, so stop being so damn stubborn or annoyed with me, and just get to work. And getting yourself a cup of coffee shouldn't take this long."

She finished getting her coffee and started walking towards him hurriedly. He got out of the way, so she wouldn't bump into him again. He wouldn't have put it passed her to spill some of the hot coffee on him on purpose. Shaking his head frustrated he got himself a cup of coffee and got back to work.

An hour later Jack walked out of his office. He spotted Katya and walked over to her.

"Hi Katya. Good to see you again." She looked up and smiled.

"Hi Jack. You too. So where's Irina?"

"She's teaching at headquarters." She nodded.

"Yes that's right. Will she be back here later?" He shook his head.

"No, she has some other things to take care of at headquarters, and after that she's picking up Ethan and then Caitie and Maddie. They're going home after that."

"Well, then I'll just have to catch up with her back at the house."

"It's probably best anyway, since you have important things to work on." She nodded.

"Yes, you're right. And I better get on with it." He smiled.

"Then I shouldn't take up more of your time. Can I get you another cup of coffee?" She smiled back at him.

"Yes, thank you." He nodded and picked up her coffee mug. A few moments later he returned. "Thank you."

"Sure. Talk to you later."

"Yes, bye."

Two hours later Kendall walked up to Katya's desk. He spoke as politely as he'd done when she arrived.

"Katya, are you done with the folder that was on top of the pile?" She didn't acknowledge him, but went on with her work. He shook his head a little frustrated and ran a hand over his head. "You do remember the last time you wouldn't give me the file I asked for, right?" She didn't respond and he got more annoyed. "According to you, I ended up messing up everything on your desk. Do you really want that to happen again?" She still didn't respond. "Fine, suit yourself." He had just put his hands on the pile of folders on her desk and was about to go through them, when she slammed her hand on top of them. She found the folder he asked for and without looking at him, she shoved it in his hands. "Thank you." He walked off shaking his head.

* * *

By the time Jack and Katya left APO, Katya and Kendall had barely spoken. Kendall had talked to Katya, whenever he asked for another folder, but she hadn't talked to him all day. She had however talked to everyone else, and had a pleasant conversation with Jack on the way home. When they got back home the triplets came running out in the hall when they heard the sound of the front door.

"Hi daddy."

"Hi aunt Katya."

"Hey sweethearts." They took turns hugging their father and aunt.

"Hello you three. It's so good to see you again. I've missed you."

"We've missed you too." Irina joined the others in the hall.

"Hi Katya. Good to see you again." They hugged.

"You too, Irina." Irina gave Jack a kiss.

"I was just about to get us something to drink. Why don't you all go into the living room. Sergei is in there."

"That sounds great." Jack looked at Irina.

"I'll help you in the kitchen." Jack and Irina walked towards the kitchen while the others went to the living room.

"So how were things at the office today?"

"Well, Katya didn't speak to Kendall at all, although he was being very kind to her." Irina shook her head.

"Well, she'll come around eventually." Jack looked at her oddly.

"You really think so? It's more than a month ago he had her locked up, and she still holds a grudge." She smiled at him.

"Yes. I know my sister and believe me she'll come around."

"Okay if you say so." He finished getting the glasses out from the cupboard and looked at her and spoke softer. "How did it go today picking up Ethan from practice?" She looked back at him and smiled softly.

"It went just fine. Carrie was there before me and she stood within view of Michelle and Carol, so they didn't talk about you or me."

"I'm glad." She walked over and kissed him.

"Come on. Let's take the drinks to the living room." He nodded and they joined the others in the living room.

* * *

The next few days at APO were more pleasant for some than they were for others. Katya had a great time with everyone other than Kendall. She kept giving him the silent treatment, even though he always started out by being nice to her. He had made sure to get out of her way every time she walked passed him. He'd learned his lesson after the second day that she was there, where she also bumped into him. At that time he was standing with his back turned to her and was just about to take a sip of his coffee. He had ended up spilling hot coffee on himself. Everyone had to some degree enjoyed watching Katya annoy Kendall, but they also thought she was being a bit ridiculous. Though, no one commented on it.

Four days after Katya had arrived everyone was getting ready to go to Ethan and Mitchell's soccer match. Jack and Irina walked into the hall from the kitchen, and Jack called out to everyone.

"Okay, time to go. We don't want to be late." The triplets and Katya came out from the living room, and Jack and Irina got their jackets out, while Katya got her own jacket.

"Have you heard from Sergei yet?"

"Yes, he's on time, and should be pulling into the driveway at any minute."

"Good. Then I'll just go outside and wait for him." She opened the front door and walked out with the triplets. Jack handed Irina her jacket and then put on his own.

"You're wearing your leather jacket?" He nodded at her.

"Yes. It's that a problem? I thought you liked me in my leather jacket." She smiled at him and moved closer putting her arms around his waist.

"I love you in your leather jacket." He smiled and kissed her. "But, I just have a feeling that Blondie and the Bimbos will be drooling allover the place, at the sight of you in that jacket."

"They might, but I'll be too busy to notice, because I'll be drooling allover you, at how sexy and beautiful you look no matter what you wear." She smiled and kissed him. They continued kissing for a while, until they needed air. "As much as I hate to break this up, we should probably go outside. We really do need to leave." She nodded.

"Yes, you're right. Tonight we'll pick up where we left off." She winked at him and gave him a quick kiss before they headed out the door.

Jack got the car out of the garage as Sergei pulled into the driveway. Katya smiled when she heard the car, but her smile faded when she saw that Kendall was in the car as well. Sergei got out of the car and said a quick hello to everyone before the triplets got into the car. He then received a glare from Katya.

"What's he doing in the car?"

"I'm giving him a ride. I drove passed his neighborhood on my way over here, so it seemed pointless to go in two cars when we're both coming here for dinner."

"You could have told me." He rolled his eyes at her.

"And what would you have done? Gone to the soccer match on your own?"

"I might have gotten a ride with someone else."

"Who? The only other people you could have gotten a ride with would be Nadia and Eric." He shook his head at her. "Look Katya, just get in the car. You don't have to talk to him, or be nice to him, but we do need to get going, so just stop being so stubborn and let's go." She glared at him for a few seconds more before going towards the car. Sergei looked at Irina and rolled his eyes. She nodded. "I'll see you all there."

"Enjoy the ride." He rolled his eyes at her.

"Yeah, like that's going to happen." She laughed a little and they walked to their cars.

When Katya got in the car, Kendall smiled at her and spoke as kindly as he'd always started every morning out with at APO.

"Hi Katya." She didn't respond. "Are you looking forward to the game?" He still didn't get a response. "I am." Still nothing. He rolled his eyes. "Fine, don't say anything. Be stubborn if that makes you feel better." Not even that earned him a response.

* * *

For the entire ride to the game, Katya didn't talk to Kendall. He gave up trying to talk to her, so both of them only talked to Sergei. Sergei tried getting a conversation going where they all could participate, but he didn't succeed.

When both cars arrived at the game, they met up with Sydney, Vaughn, Isabelle, Sarah, Nicholas, Nadia, Eric, Becky, David, Marshall, Carrie, Mitchell, Matthew, Chloe, and Gracie. They all greeted each other and talked for a little while before Carrie looked at her watch.

"Well, I think we better take the boys to the locker room, so that they can get ready."

"Yes, you're right." Irina nodded and everyone wished Ethan and Mitchell good luck on their game, before the boys headed off with their parents.

Jack and Irina walked hand in hand to the locker room, and when they spotted Michelle and Carol, Jack gave Irina's hand a little squeeze. She looked at him and gave him a loving smile, which he returned. From the corner of her eyes, Irina could tell that Michelle and Carol weren't happy about that. Jack, Irina, Marshall, and Carrie wished Ethan and Mitchell a good game and walked back and joined the other, who in the meantime had found seats for everyone.

When Jack and Irina left the locker room, Michelle nudged Carol.

"Did you see Jack?"

"Oh yes."

"He looks so hot in that leather jacket."

"So hot."

"I'm going to keep my eyes on him all day, so that I can make my move if he's alone."

"Oh, I'm going to look at him too. With that leather jacket he's wearing, it's impossible to take your eyes off of him. Well, it's always impossible to take your eyes off of him." They laughed and left the locker room area.

Irina noticed that Michelle and Carol joined Tanya, Shelley, and Penny, who had come to support Michelle and Carol's sons. However, Irina had a feeling that the other three bimbos were only really there, so that they could drool allover Jack. Her mind went elsewhere when Jack put his hand on her thigh. She looked at him and smiled.

"Comfortable?" He smiled back.

"Yes, very." He leaned in and kissed her, and seconds later they started a conversation with everyone else and waited for the game to start.

When the game started everyone was cheering for Ethan and Mitchell's team. Jack and Irina were busy paying attention to the game, and didn't notice that Blondie and the Bimbos were concentrating more on looking at Jack than at the game.

Shortly before halftime the score was still nothing to nothing. It had been a quite equal game and both teams had had some good chances. But then Ethan got the ball, dribbled it passing two of his opponents, then passed the ball to Mitchell, who hit it perfectly and made the first goal for his team. Everyone was on their feet in no time and cheered loudly. Marshall was jumping up and down.

"That's my boy, that's my boy." He raised his hands in the air in triumph and then yelled in Mitchell's direction. "I love you, Mitchell." Then he picked up Chloe. "Your brother just made a goal. Did you see that?" She giggled and he looked at Gracie and Matthew. "Did you see your brother just made a goal?" They laughed too.

"Yes daddy." He gave Matthew a high five and then looked at Carrie.

"My boy just made a goal."

"Hey."

"Oh, sorry honey. Our boy just made a goal." She smiled at him and laughed a little at how excited he was. Marshall then turned his attention to Jack and Irina. "Our boys are in the lead. They're in the lead." Irina nodded.

"Yes, they certainly are." Marshall put up his hand and she gave him a high five.

Seven minutes later it was half time. Katya got up from her seat.

"I need to go to the restroom." She looked at the young girls. "Do any of you need to go?" They all told her that they didn't and she nodded. "Okay, I'll be right back." She left and Jack got up too.

"So do I."

"Hang on. I need to go too." Kendall got up and so did Marshall.

"Me too." Eric laughed and they looked at him oddly.

"Oh sorry. It's just that you really only hear of women going to the restroom together." Everyone laughed too including Marshall, while Jack and Kendall rolled their eyes.

Jack got out of the restroom first, went back near the seats, but looked at some posters that were hanging nearby before sitting down. Blondie and the Bimbos, who'd been looking at Jack during the soccer match, had followed him to see where he was going, and had then gone back to stand near the seats to wait for him. They stood a little further away from him, and Michelle turned and looked at the others.

"It's time to work my magic." They laughed and walked over to him. "Hi Jack." He rolled his eyes at the sound of Michelle's voice, not really wanting to talk to her or the others. But he turned around and gave them a neutral look.

"Hi." Michelle licked her lips.

"That's a nice jacket you're wearing. It suits you very much." He smiled.

"Yeah, Irina said it would be perfect for me." They got a little annoyed by hearing him mention Irina.

"Irina?"

"Yes, I got it for my birthday from Irina and the triplets." They forced a smile. "It's really comfortable, and it feels like I have Irina's arms wrapped around me. That's such a great feeling." He could tell that hearing that annoyed them. Michelle looked briefly at the other women and decided to try another way.

"So, Jack." He looked at her. "I have this bookcase at home that I just can't put together myself. I would really like you to help me with it."

"Get Stan to help you."

"He's not home. In fact he won't be home for a few days, and I just can't wait that long. You have such strong hands and arms, Jack. You're the perfect man to help me out."

"I can't." She took a deep breath, a bit annoyed with his resistance.

"Now Jack, you wouldn't want me to be all alone without a built bookcase, now would you? Why don't you come back home with me after the game? I can make a delicious dinner and after we can talk and get to know each other."

"I have plans."

"Surely you can make time for me."

"No. I have plans to have dinner with my family and friends after the game. We're celebrating on a game well played." Michelle tried her best to smile, even though she was really annoyed with his rejection.

"Then what about later? You can come by tonight after you put the triplets to bed, and we can have a nice bottle of wine." He smirked at her.

"When the triplets are tucked in, Irina and I will be doing our own celebration. We'll either be making love in the pool or in the Jacuzzi." Michelle and the other bimbos gaped, while Jack laughed a little. "Oh, who am I kidding. We'll end up making love in both the pool and the Jacuzzi. Then when we're dry, we'll be making love in our bed a couple of times before falling asleep in each others' arms. After more than forty years, Irina and I are still madly in love with each other and it's wonderful." He kept smirking, and was thrilled at how much they didn't like, what they were hearing. "Speaking of my beautiful wife, I really should get back to her. I just miss her terribly." He gave them one more smirk and then walked away without saying anything else to them. Michelle and Carol let out an annoyed grunt and walked away.

When Jack got back to his seat, Irina gave him a kiss and whispered against his lips, so only he could hear.

"I would really love to, but with Katya staying with us, we should probably only make love in the bedroom." He looked at her surprised, and she shrugged. "I read your lips. I couldn't help it when I saw the bimbos approaching you." He smiled at her and kissed her.

"The bedroom sounds just fine. Katya is leaving tomorrow, so we can always make love in the pool and Jacuzzi then."

"I like the sound of that." They kissed again and turned their attention to everyone else.

Kendall and Marshall got out of the restroom and stood looking at the same posters that Jack had been looking at. Tanya, Shelley, and Penny were still standing in the same area, but had moved away a little. Tanya nudged at Penny and Shelley looked at her too.

"Who's that bald guy with that short weird guy?"

"I don't really know. I think he's a friend of Jack and Irina's. He's always here for the soccer games, and he's always sitting with them. He also seems to know that weird guy."

"I think his name is Marshall." Tanya rolled her eyes.

"Oh, who cares what his name is, Shelley. I'm not interested in him. He's just creepy. But that other guy, now he's rather cute." She kept on checking Kendall out. "I don't see a wedding ring. That's good. Well, even if he did have a wife that wouldn't stop me." They laughed and Tanya licked her lips. "I think I'll just go and talked to him. These babies are sure to get his attention." She pointed at her breasts. "You want to come?"

"Oh absolutely."

"Yes, I wouldn't mind getting a closer look at him myself."

"Back off, Penny, he's mine." They laughed a little and walked towards Kendall and Marshall.

Katya came from the restroom and walked towards Kendall and Marshall first. Marshall turned around just when Katya was near them, and he spotted Tanya, Shelley, and Penny walking towards them.

"It's seems like trouble is coming our way." Katya stopped and looked at him incredulously.

"Excuse me?" Marshall shook his head.

"No, no, not you Katya. I meant the three bimbos, who are walking towards us." Kendall and Katya looked in the direction of the bimbos.

"Those are the ones, who are usually hitting on Jack, right?" Marshall nodded at Katya.

"Yes. Irina came up with the name bimbos." They laughed a little. "I wonder what they want. They seem to want something from us." Katya looked amused.

"Well, I'm certainly going to stay to find out."

Tanya, Shelley, and Penny smiled at Kendall mostly, when they stood in front of him, Marshall, and Katya. Tanya stepped in front of Shelley and Penny.

"Hi, I'm Tanya." She reached her hand out to Kendall. He looked at her a little oddly, but shook it.

"Hi, I'm Jim."

"So, I've seen you around whenever there's a game." He nodded.

"Yeah, I'm friends with Marshall and Carrie. Jack and Irina too, and…" He looked at Katya, not really sure what to say about her. He looked back at Tanya. "And the rest of their family."

"Yes, I've seen you sit with them at the games. So, I was thinking that the two of us could get a drink after the game and then dinner later." She leaned closer to him and looked at him seductively. "And who knows what will happen after dinner. We could always go back to my place for a little dessert." Kendall smiled a little.

"That's kind of you to offer. But I can't."

"Oh come now, Jim. You wouldn't want me to be all alone, would you?"

"I'm having dinner with everyone after the game." He pointed at Marshall and Katya, and also pointed at the others up in the seats.

"Still, you can have dinner with them any time. Tonight you'll have the opportunity to have dinner with me, and then later you'll simply have me. Now that's an opportunity you can't resist. You won't be disappointed. Believe me, you won't be disappointed."

"Actually, I would be disappointed." That took Tanya and the other bimbos by surprise.

"How can you possibly say that?"

"Because, I'm gay." Tanya and the other bimbos stared a little wide eyed at him.

"You're what? You're gay?" He nodded and smiled.

"Yes." Tanya shook her head.

"But you don't seem gay." He shrugged.

"Some people just don't seem gay. But believe me, I'm one-hundred percent homosexual." They still stared a little wide eyed at him, to see if he was telling the truth. Deciding that he was, they shook their heads.

"Okay. Well, sorry to have bothered you." He smiled.

"That's okay. Enjoy the rest of the game."

"Yeah, whatever." They walked away and when they were out of sight, Marshall looked at Kendall, and stared wide eyed at him. Kendall noticed the odd look he was receiving.

"What, Marshall?"

"Uh well, nothing. It's nothing. Well it's just that I didn't know you were gay. Oh but not that there's anything wrong with being gay. I'm okay with you being gay. Yes, absolutely. I still love you. Eh, not love you like I love Carrie. Please, don't get the wrong idea. It's not like I'm in love with you or anything. I mean, I think you're very attractive. Uh um, not that I check you out or anything. But I jus…"

"Marshall, I'm not gay." Marshall stared a little wide eyed at him.

"You're not gay?"

"No, I'm not."

"Then why did you tell her that you were?"

"Because, I had a feeling that she wasn't going to leave me alone. And I have absolutely no desire to be with her."

"So why didn't you just tell her that you were seeing another woman?"

"Somehow I don't think that would've stopped her."

"But you're not gay?" He shook his head.

"No Marshall, I'm not gay."

"Well, I wouldn't be surprised if you were." Kendall and Marshall looked at Katya, and he rolled his eyes at her.

"Oh, because I'm such a whiny, little girl?" She looked at him amused.

"Ah, so you agree." He gave a frustrated grunt.

"No, but I had a feeling that you would use that as an example."

"Well, you do whine right now."

"I do not whine."

"Yes, you do."

"No, I don…" He stopped talking when he heard Marshall laughing. "What?" Marshall shook his head.

"Oh, it's nothing. You two are just talking again that's all. Well, actually Katya is talking to you again. Well, it's not really a pleasant conversation you've got going on, but she's throwing remarks at you, like she always does." He smiled broadly. "Everything seems to be back to normal between you two, and I think that's great." They looked at him and then at each other. Kendall smirked a little.

"So, you're talking to me again." She cocked an eyebrow at him.

"Don't let it go to that big, bald head of yours." He rolled his eyes at her.

"Fine, fine." He noticed the teams coming back. "It seems like the game's about to start. We should get back to our seats." She nodded.

"Yes, we should." She gestured with her hand to let him go first. "Ladies first." He rolled his eyes and walked passed her. Marshall looked at Katya and smiled before going to their seats. Up in her seat, Irina was smiling too.

* * *

The second half of the game turned out much like the first half. And then ten minutes before the game was over Ethan made a goal. Everyone was out of their seats again cheering loudly. When the game was over Ethan and Mitchell received hugs and kisses from everyone, and after spending a bit of time with the team celebrating their victory, everyone went back to Jack and Irina's house to celebrate. They had a great time and later everyone went home. Sergei and Kendall were the last ones to leave.

"Take care, Katya. I look forward to the next time you're in town." Sergei hugged her.

"You too, Sergei, and I do too." He looked at Jack and Irina.

"See you guys on Monday."

"Yeah, bye Sergei." Kendall looked at them too.

"I'll see you guys on Monday too."

"Absolutely." He looked at Katya.

"I'll be in touch. Take care." She nodded.

"Yes, bye." She looked at Jack and Irina. "I'll be in the living room." With that she left the hall before Kendall had gone. He rolled his eyes.

"Enjoy the rest of your weekend."

"You too." He left and they looked at each other. Jack shrugged. "Well, at least they're talking again. Sort of." She smiled.

"Yes and that's always a start." She took him by the hand. "Come on. Let's join Katya in the living room."

* * *

Nearly a week later Jack had just gotten off the phone with Devlin, and had then called Irina into his office. When she walked in, he gestured for her to sit.

"Have a seat." She looked at him amused.

"Am I in trouble?" He laughed.

"No, not at all. But I just got off the phone with Devlin, who brought up a matter I need to discuss with you." She looked at him curiously.

"That sounds a little strange. What's up?"

"Your commitment with the CIA ends next month. Well, about seven weeks from now. When that time comes you're free to leave, and you're also more than welcome to stay. You don't have to make a decision right now, but Devlin wanted you to think about what you want to do."

"I can't believe it's been five years already. I'll admit I haven't given it any thought, but now that you mention it, I want to stay. I don't want to leave until we catch Sloane." He nodded.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. I mean, it would be different if it was just the two of us."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, if we didn't have the triplets, we could both retire, not give a damn about Sloane, and just concentrate on each other. We could travel the world and be gone for a month or two at a time. Then we could come home for a few weeks, spend that time with our family and friends, and spoil our grandchildren rotten." He smiled. "But don't get me wrong. I'd love to be there for the triplets when they come home from school and take them wherever they need to go. But I also know that I would go crazy without anything to do, when they're at school."

"You could always get another job. You could teach again."

"Who would want to hire me at my age?" He looked at her amused and she rolled her eyes at him. "I'm not saying I'm old." He laughed and she smiled. "What I meant was that there are a lot of other people, who are younger, who would be hired before me. Besides, I can't really get a job as a teacher, when I don't have a résumé. I think any future employer would find it a bit strange that my first name has changed on my diploma and that I haven't taught in more than thirty years. It's not like I can tell, I taught CIA agents. Not that the teaching is the same as English Lit."

"We can always hack into the computer and change your name or come up with some cover story as to how your name is different. Then we could fake your résumé, so that it would seem you've taught overseas. If the school wants to get in touch with your previous place of employment, I can get a new number and we can put that on there, so that I'll be the one they talk to. We would have everything covered." She smiled softly at him.

"It's sweet of you to suggest that, but that would be a lie, and I've done enough of that in my life. I don't want to create a fake job, just so I can go back to teaching." He nodded. "But as much as I loved my teaching job, I also love the work I have now. I get to be with you at work, and I get to be with Sydney and Nadia too. I've missed out on most of their lives, so seeing them at work every day, is a way to make up for lost time." He smiled. "Unless of course, you thought about retiring?"

"Well, it's been a long time since I last thought about retiring. I haven't been able to retire in the last five years, because I was in charge of you. But even now that you'll be free to leave in almost two months, I haven't given it any thought." He sighed. "As much as I'd love to retire and spend more time with you and the kids, like you I also want to get Sloane first. I don't know if we'll ever catch him, but I'd like to be around if we get the chance within the next few years." She nodded.

"So, if we haven't caught him in a couple of years, we'll retire together?" He nodded and smiled.

"That sounds like a good plan." She smiled back. "So, should I call Devlin and tell him that you want to stay on?"

"Yes, you might as well do that, because I won't be changing my mind."

"Okay, I'll do that now, and you get back to work." She laughed.

"Okay. See you later, sweetheart." He smiled back and when she left, he called Devlin.

* * *

Two days later Sydney and Nadia were spending the afternoon with the triplets. They had gone to the pier taking in some of activities and were now eating the rest of their ice-cream on a bench overlooking the ocean.

"So are you three looking forward to your summer vacation?"

"Mmhmm. Uncle Sergei has promised to take us a lot of places. And aunt Katya talked about being around more in the summer, so that she can spend time with us."

"And there's of course also the fourth of July in a month. Well, tomorrow it'll be a month exactly to the fourth of July." They all laughed a little.

"And we're also going to the cabin."

"Yeah, we know. We'll probably be able to go with you too."

"That would be fun."

"Yeah, we think so too."

"If you're done with your ice-creams, we can go to the playground now before going back home." The triplets nodded and the five of them left the pier.

Later they all went back to their parents' house, where the rest of the family, including Sergei, was waiting for them, and they all had a nice family dinner.

* * *

Three days later Jack and Irina were getting the triplets ready for school. Jack was helping Maddie with her hair, and had a bit of trouble getting one of the hairpins to stay in her hair.

"Did you get it to stay in, daddy?"

"Wait a second." Jack tried again, let go of her hair, and was a bit relieved when it didn't fall out. "Yeah, I think I got it now."

"Thank you, daddy." She gave him a kiss, and he smiled back at her.

"You're welcome, sweetheart." Irina popped her head in the room.

"Are you two ready to go?"

"Yes, mommy." They walked hand in hand out of the room to join Irina, Caitie, and Ethan.

When they arrived at the school and Jack and Irina said goodbye to the kids, Jack noticed that Maddie's hairpin was about to fall out, when she turned her back to him.

"Maddie, hang on. Your hairpin is falling out." She walked back to him. Jack tried to put it back into place, but wasn't successful this time. "It doesn't seem to want to stay put. I think it's a bit broken. But it doesn't really seem like you need it after all." He put the hairpin in his front pocket.

"Okay, daddy."

"You better run along or you'll be late." The triplets nodded and hugged and kissed their parents one more time before walking off to class.

* * *

Two hours later at APO, Jack came from Dixon's office after having just gone over some work with him. He had felt something uncomfortable poking his thigh when he was sitting down and put his hand in his pocket. He laughed a little when he pulled out the hairpin. Deciding he would avoid any future discomfort when sitting down, he put the hairpin in his back pocket.

An hour and a half later Irina met up with Sydney and Nadia at the coffeemaker. Nadia poured her mother a cup of coffee.

"So are you girls discussing anything interesting?" Sydney shook her head.

"No, not really. Well, I did just tell Nadia that there's a play that Vaughn and I talked about seeing, and if we decided to go, we thought about asking you and dad to look after the kids." Irina smiled.

"Your father and I would love to take care of the kids. When were you thinking about going?"

"In a week or two. It'll be playing for the next month, so there's no rush."

"Well, we're usually home every night, so any night is fine by us."

"The play sounds really good. Maybe Eric and I should go and see it too. It'll probably be something for you and dad too."

"What's it about?"

"Well, it's about these tw…."

"WHAT?"

Sydney was caught off when they heard Jack yelling from his office. They turned in his direction and saw that he was on the phone. He also looked to be in shock and a bit in panic.

"What's up with dad?"

"Yeah, he doesn't look good. Do you know who he's on the phone with?" Sydney and Nadia looked at their mother, but she shook her head.

"No, I have no idea. But I think we're about to find out."

They saw Jack coming out of his office walking towards them. Everyone else had slowly started gathering as well, since most had heard Jack yelling. Irina, Sydney, and Nadia were immediately worried by the expression on Jack's face.

"Hey dad. What's wrong?" He didn't respond, but just stood there completely shocked and a bit scared.

"Jack? Are you okay? Who was on the phone?" When he still didn't respond, Irina walked closer and put her hand on his upper arm. "Sweetheart, what's wrong?"

"Th…that was the school." Irina's breath got caught in her throat. "The triplets have been kidnapped."

**TBC**


	16. Chapter 16

**SofiaBlackBristow:** Yes, they were. Thank you for reading and commenting - it means a lot. :-)

**Rishka Derevko:** Someone has indeed, but it doesn't mean that people still can't get seriously hurt. Thank you for thinking it's great. Buckle up because it's going to be a bumpy ride, and I wouldn't want you to fall out of your seat. :-D Thank you for reading and commenting - it means a lot. :-)

* * *

**Chapter 16**

Everyone was staring wide eyed at Jack, not believing what he had just told them, and Irina's coffee mug fell out of her hands from the shock.

"No, Jack. That's not possible. Please say it's not true."

"It is." She started to tremble and her tears started to fall.

"No, no, no, no, no, no. This can't be happening." Jack took her in his arms and held her tight with his own eyes tearing up. Everyone was still shocked and Sydney and Nadia started to get teary eyed too.

"Dad, what happened?" He still held Irina tightly, but looked at everyone else.

"They were outside for recess and all of a sudden two black vans, came racing into the school yard. They got out and grabbed the kids and drove off."

"Did they just take the triplets?"

"Yes."

"Then Sloane must be behind it. Or someone else, who's out to get you." Irina shivered by the thought of the triplets being anywhere near him. Jack held her tighter, nodded, and dried his tears.

"That's definitely a possibility. But we need to get to the school to hear more of what exactly happened. The police are there, and they want to talk to us." Kendall stepped forward.

"I'll drive you there. You shouldn't drive in your state."

"Thank you." Dixon also stepped forward.

"We'll look into satellite pictures and any surveillance pictures in the area we can find. We'll get your kids back."

"Thank you." Dixon gave Jack and Irina a nod and Kendall gave Jack a pad on the back.

"Let's go." Sydney and Nadia hugged their parents still completely in shock, and when Jack and Irina left Vaughn and Eric stepped forward and hugged them.

* * *

For Jack and Irina the car ride to the school seemed to take forever. The three of them didn't speak much in the car on their way there. They were all too much in shock. When they arrived all three went directly to the police, who were questioning people outside the school. A cop was about to stop them when they got closer.

"I'm sorry, but you ca…"

"We're parents to the children who were kidnapped." The cop nodded.

"Right this way." He took them to the detective in charge. "Sir, the parents of the missing children are here." The detective looked at the cop, nodded and then finished giving some instructions to the other cops he was talking to before walking over to Jack, Irina, and Kendall.

"Hello, I'm detective Thompson. You are the parents of the Bristol triplets."

"Bristow. Our last name is Bristow, and our children's names are Caitie, Maddie, and Ethan." The detective looked though his notes and then nodded.

"Bristow, yes. Sorry, I got the name wrong." He looked in his notes again. "Your children are Caitlin Derevko Bristow, Madeleine Derevko Bristow, and Ethan Derevko Bristow."

"Yes. What happened?" He looked up again and looked at the three of them a little curiously.

"Just a minute, sir. Who of you are the parents?"

"We are." Jack pointed at himself and Irina. The detective nodded.

"Your names, sir." Jack and Irina took deep breaths, getting more annoyed and frustrated by the minute.

"Jack and Irina Bristow. Now what happened to our children?" The detective wrote the names down and then looked at Kendall.

"And you, sir? Who are you? Are you the triplets' stepfather?" Kendall shook his head, also getting annoyed and frustrated.

"No, I'm not." He pointed at Jack and Irina. "They are still married and are the biological parents of the children. Now could you please tell us what happened?"

"Yes, of course." He looked at Jack and Irina. "Two black vans came racing into the school yard during recess. Now as you can see, there's a big open space right over here." He pointed towards the area he was referring to, but it got too much for Irina, who snapped.

"We can see that perfectly fine. Just tell us what happened." The detective looked back at them a little stunned, but then nodded.

"With the vans coming racing like that, it's natural for anyone to be stunned. The same happened with everyone in the school yard, so no one really got out of the way, including your children. The kidnappers only took your children, got them into the vans and drove off quickly. So far we haven't been able to track them down. And I'm sorry to say that we don't even know which direction they went in. We also don't have a description of any of them. They were all wearing balaclavas, so it's impossible to tell what they look like." Irina started to cry again, and Jack put his arm around her, having difficulty keeping his own tears from falling. "I'm sorry I can't give you better news. We need all the help we can get, so do you have any idea who could've kidnapped your children? Since they only took your children, I don't think it's just a matter of taking some children. They must've been out to get your children specifically. So can you think of any enemies you might have?"

Jack and Irina looked at each other even though they didn't really have to. They knew they couldn't tell the detective that they worked for the CIA since they worked in black-ops, and therefore they couldn't tell him anything about their suspicions of Sloane. But even if they could tell him about Sloane, the LAPD wouldn't be able to have the same resources to find him as the CIA. They looked back at the detective and shook their heads.

"No, we can't think of anyone."

"I see. That doesn't help much. What do you do for a living?"

"We both work in a company that has dealings allover the world."

"Can you be more specific?"

"Not really. We cover a lot of ground in our job, so it's difficult to be very specific. But I don't see that our specific work area has anything to do with the kidnapping of our children." The detective shook his head.

"No, I suppose it doesn't. But since you have dealings allover the world, do you think anyone could hold a grudge against you? Are there any competitors, who you could've stolen a client from and they could be out to get revenge on you?"

"No, not that we can think of."

"Are you sure you don't have any lead on who kidnapped their children?" The detective looked at Kendall.

"Yes, we're absolutely sure, sir. And other than not being the children's stepfather, who are you? What's your name?"

"I'm Jim Kendall. I work with the Bristows."

"So you work in the same company?"

"Yes."

"And why are you here?"

"I gave them a lift. They were too upset to drive from the news of their children being kidnapped, so I gave them a ride."

"And are you sure that's the only reason why you're here?" Jack, Irina, and Kendall stared a little wide eyed at the detective.

"Excuse me? Just what are you implying?"

"Well, it wouldn't be a surprise if you tacked along, so that you could see if you were successful in getting the triplets kidnapped."

"You think I had something to do with kidnapping the triplets?"

"It wouldn't be the first time someone close to the ones being kidnapped is actually responsible for the kidnapping."

"I can tell you right now that I have nothing to do with their kidnapping."

"Look, detective. This man is a close friend of the family and our children adore him. They call him 'uncle' and he would never do anything to hurt them. He would rather die than let harm come their way."

"Sir, we have no leads, so we have to assume that anyone is a suspect."

"Well, you can cross this man off your list right now."

"If you say so." He wrote down Kendall's name on the list of none suspects and went on. "Since we don't have any leads, we need to put a tap on your phone. The kidnappers will more than likely call you to ask for a ransom in exchange for your children back."

Jack and Irina looked at each other for a split second. They knew they couldn't let the police into their house in case Sloane called, if he was the man behind the kidnapping. They then looked back at the detective.

"The company we work for has a large security department fit to handle this matter. We'll have them run a tap on the phone." The detective got a little mad.

"Sir, with all due respect this is our area of expertise. We know what we're doing, and we'll put a team on the case to take care of things. We'll handle this." Jack got equally mad.

"With all due respect you didn't know our name when we got here. We also want someone we trust to find our children. The security department with our company will put all their time into finding our children. A large section of the security department will focus solely on getting our children back. They will not rest until they find them, unlike the LAPD, who'll probably close the case if our children haven't been found within a few weeks. That's known to have happened before." Irina nodded. The detective eyed Jack and Irina skeptically.

"Just why is it that you don't want us to run a tap on your phone? Is it because you are behind the kidnapping yourselves?" Jack, Irina, and Kendall's eyes were about to fall out. They couldn't believe what they were hearing.

"What? Are you accusing us of having something to do with the kidnapping of our own children?" Jack and Irina were both in the detective's face and she spat at him.

"That's ridiculous. We would never hurt our own children. Our children mean the world to us. How dare you accuse us of that? First you accuse our friend and now us? You need to have your head examined."

"What else am I supposed to think? You won't let us tap your phone, and you haven't got a clue as to who could've kidnapped your children. Your children were the only ones kidnapped, so it's also natural to suspect the parents of being behind the kidnapping. You could have financial problems which would cause you to get someone to kidnap your children, because you have some rich relative, who would pay to get the children back. It's not an unlikely situation."

"It is in this case. We don't have financial problems and we would never get someone to kidnap our children. I should knock you out for saying such a thing."

"Ma'am, knocking me out will not get your children back."

"No, but it'll sure as hell make me feel just a little better than the hell I'm going through right now." Jack put his arms around Irina and held her close as she cried into his shoulder.

"Excuse me, detective." Everyone looked behind Jack and Irina as Annie came up behind them.

"Yes, can I help you?"

"My name is Annie Bennett. I'm a friend of the Bristows and my daughter is friends with the triplets."

"Yes, and?"

"I work in child services and deal with parents, who neglect their children all the time. So from a personal and professional point of view, I can tell you that the Bristows would never hurt their children. They are extremely loving parents and want nothing but the best for them."

"That may very well be, but I'm sure you can understand that it's very suspicious that they refuse our help."

"Yes, for you, who don't know them, I can understand that it's suspicious. But as someone who knows them, I can tell you that you have no reason to suspect them of anything. They live in a huge house and they own other properties around the world, so their financial situation is not a problem. That's why I trust that the company they work for has a very large security department, who will help them with the kidnapping." Jack glared at the detective.

"I can show you how much we are worth, if that will satisfy you."

"No that won't be necessary, Mr. Bristow. But I still don't like the situation, and that you don't want our help. Your company might be able to provide you with a lot of help, but we are still professionals in this area."

"Our company only works with professionals, who know their job. So I can assure you that they are perfectly professionals. We are not refusing your help, but you just do what you have to, to find our children, and we'll get our company to do what they can do." The detective eyed them and then nodded.

"Very well." He took out a card from his pocket. "Here. This is my number. Call me if you hear of anything or think of anything. We'll get your number and call you if there are any new developments in the case. You can go home." Jack took the card.

"Thank you." The detective nodded and left. Irina looked at Annie.

"Thank you for helping out."

"Don't mention it. I got the call from the school saying that your children had been kidnapped, and that it would be best if all parents came and picked their children up, just as a precaution. I'm so sorry to hear about the triplets. Do you have any idea of who could've done it?" Jack and Irina both shook their heads.

"No, we have no idea. All we know is that they're gone."

"I'm sure you'll get them back. I know it's not very comforting, but I really don't know what to say in a situation like this." Irina smiled a little through her tears.

"Thank you. Your support is enough." She nodded and Mrs. Davies, the principal, walked over to them.

"Mr. and Mrs. Bristow, I'm so sorry about your children. I can't help but feel responsible. This is supposed to be a safe environment for your children. Things like this shouldn't happen. It all happened so fast that there was no time to react. All I can do is, offer you my apologies and my hopes that your children will return to you safely and unharmed."

"Thank you. We don't hold you or the school responsible."

"That's kind of you to say. If there's anything I can do for you, please call me. Day or night, it doesn't matter." Jack and Irina nodded. "If you'll excuse me, the police need to talk to me again. I saw that you were done talking to the detective, so I told the officer I was talking to that I needed to talk to you. I won't keep you any longer as I'm sure all you want to do is get home."

"Yes, all we really want is to get out of here. We can't really stand to be here any longer."

"Understandable. My thoughts are with you and your children."

"Thank you." She nodded and left. Annie looked at them.

"Call me if you need anything. My thoughts are with you too."

"Thank you, Annie." Irina and Annie gave each other a quick hug and Irina, Jack, and Kendall went back to APO.

* * *

The ride back to APO was just as quiet as the ride to the school. When they arrived back to APO their footsteps were small and heavy. Everyone was gathered around to hear what had happened at the school.

"Are there any news?" Jack shook his head.

"No. The police have no idea who took them, and they haven't been able to track them. They have no leads at all. How did your search go?"

"We have no leads either."

"No leads at all?"

"No, I'm sorry. There were no satellite or surveillance cameras in the area of the school, and the nearest ones didn't show anything. There were no black vans showing up in the area."

"So there are absolutely no leads on our children? None at all?"

"No unfortunately not. I wish we could bring you better news. But we'll be looking into anything and everything again, and check out other satellite and surveillance pictures outside the area of the school. We'll do anything to get the triplets back, and we won't rest until we do." Jack nodded at Dixon.

"We know you will. Thank you."

"Why don't the two of you go to your office, Jack, and relax for a while? I know it's impossible to calm down at the moment, but maybe you should just sit and breathe for a while." Jack nodded and put his arm around Irina. He gave her a kiss on the forehead.

"Come on, sweetheart." Sydney looked at her parents.

"Nadia and I will bring you a cup of coffee." He smiled a little.

"Thank you." Jack and Irina went to his office and Dixon looked around at called out to everyone.

"You all know what to do. Search everything and find the triplets." Everyone got to work. Vaughn, Eric, Dixon, Kendall, Marshall, and Carrie looked at each other and sighed before getting back to work too.

* * *

Five minutes after returning to his office, Kendall had just gotten off the phone with Devlin and now had another phone call to make.

"_I'm not supposed to get in touch with you, so it better b…"_

"Katya, I don't need any remarks from you right now. The triplets have been kidnapped."

"_What?"_ She was shocked. _"When did this happen? Who took them?"_

"It happened, not that long ago. They were kidnapped during recess, and we don't know who took them. The police have no leads and neither do we. We suspect Sloane, but we can't be sure."

"_It has to be Sloane. Who else could it be."_

"At the moment we have no other suspects than Sloane, and the triplets were also the only ones kidnapped, so it has to be someone who knows Jack and Irina. Look, I just got off the phone with Devlin, and he's cleared your schedule so that you can be here and help and be here for your family. There'll be a car to pick you up in fifteen minutes, which will take you straight to the airstrip. One of our planes will be waiting for you and I'll be at the airstrip here in LA to pick you up."

"_I'll get my things together right away."_

"Okay. See you in a little while. I'll keep you posted if we hear anything."

"_I'd appreciate that. Bye."_

"Bye."

* * *

Less than two hours later Kendall picked up Katya.

"I know you didn't contact me, but is there any news?" He helped her get her bags into his car.

"No, no news at all." They got into the car and started to drive towards APO.

"So neither you nor the police have any leads?"

"Unfortunately, no."

"Did anyone at the school get a good look at the kidnappers?" He shook his head.

"No, they were all wearing balaclavas."

"I suppose you didn't tell the police about your suspicions of Sloane?"

"No, we couldn't do that." She nodded. "But maybe we should, because they couldn't really believe that Jack and Irina had no idea of who could've kidnapped them, since the triplets were the only ones kidnapped."

"What happened?"

"Well first they suspected me of being behind the kidnapping." Katya looked at him dumbfounded.

"What?" Then she got a little mad. "That's preposterous. You would never hurt the triplets. I hope you told the police that."

"We did, but I wasn't the only one who got blamed. When Jack and Irina wouldn't let the police put a tap on their phone at home the detective in charge started accusing them too." She looked dumbfounded at him again and then shook her head angrily.

"Did any of you by chance knock out the detective? I can't believe he accused any of you."

"Well, Irina wanted to, but didn't. But we were all furious with the detective. However, the mother of a friend of the triplets came to their defense."

"I'm glad. Are Jack and Irina home or at APO?"

"APO. I don't think they want to be anywhere else at the moment in case there are any new developments."

"Yes, you're right. Have anyone gotten in touch with Sergei? He's not off working, so I assume he would be the one to pick up the triplets after school."

"I called him after I got off the phone with you. He's a complete mess. He can't believe that they were kidnapped."

"None of us can."

"Sydney, Nadia, Vaughn, Eric, Marcus, Marshall, and Carrie all got in touch with their children and they're now all together in a safe location being taken care of by a bunch of agents and Sergei is with them. We thought it was best to get them all together in case they're a target as well. They don't know about the triplets yet."

"It must be hard for Sergei to put up appearances. He's the only one, who's been with the triplets all their lives, and now that they're missing he has to bottle up his feelings."

"I know, but he's also strong. He'll be alright. We all will be, and we'll get the triplets back home safe and sound. I have to believe that."

"We all have to believe that. We have to stay positive no matter what."

"Yes, you're probably right."

The rest of the ride to APO was spent in silence.

* * *

When they arrived at APO, Katya walked straight to Sydney and Nadia, who she spotted at Sydney's desk. Kendall was right behind her.

"Girls." They looked up surprised to see her there. Kendall hadn't had the time to tell anyone that he was picking up Katya. She hugged them.

"What are you doing here?"

"I was informed about what happened to your siblings. Are there any news?"

"No, not at all." Katya gave them a reassuring smile.

"We'll get them back. Just stay positive. Now where are your parents?"

"They're in dad's office."

"I'll just go and see them." They nodded.

"They'll be happy to see you." She smiled again and left.

When she got to Jack's office, she found Jack and Irina sitting next to each other holding each other, too numb to do much at the moment. They didn't even look up when they heard the door open.

"Irina. Jack." They looked up when they heard Katya, and they looked at her surprised.

"Katya?" Irina got up and hugged her sister. "What are you doing here?"

"Jim called me and filled me in on the situation. He had called Devlin, who cleared my schedule. So I'm here to help." Irina smiled a little through her tears. "We'll get them back. You both have to stay positive and believe that." She gave both Jack and Irina a reassuring smile. Jack smiled back a little.

"We're glad you're here." She nodded back and hugged Irina again.

* * *

The rest of the day was spent searching and searching, but without any results. Jack and Irina had eventually helped in the search even though they were a complete wreck. In the early evening everyone gathered and Kendall looked at his watch.

"Look, we don't seem to be getting anywhere, so I suggest you all go home. You should get home to your children." He gave Jack and Irina an apologetic smile and Jack nodded his understanding. "I'll stay on for a few more hours, and get the nightshift team properly in on things. If anything happens, I'll let you know. The nightshift team will also call if there are developments during the night." Everyone looked around at each other not really wanting to go home, when they still didn't know what had happened to the triplets. "I understand that you don't want to leave, but there's nothing more we can do. Go home and try and get some sleep. Tomorrow will be just as busy as today, and we need you all on the top of your game." They all nodded knowing he was right. They got up off their chairs and walked out of the meeting room. Jack looked at Kendall.

"You should get home too."

"I will, Jack. But I just want to help the nightshift. I'll be out of here in a few hours." Jack nodded. "Get some rest and remember what Katya said. We have to stay positive. We will get them back." He nodded again and Irina walked up to Kendall and gave him a hug.

"Thank you for staying and for calling Katya and Sergei. Don't stay too long. You need to be on the top of your game too tomorrow."

"Don't mention it, and I will." He looked between the two of them. "See you tomorrow." They all nodded and left.

* * *

While Jack, Irina, and Katya drove home, Sydney, Nadia, Vaughn, Eric, Marshall, Carrie, and Dixon picked up their children. Dixon gave Sergei a ride back to Jack and Irina's, and he walked straight into the house when he got there.

"It's me. Where are you?"

"In the living room." He walked in and went straight to Irina and hugged her.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I couldn't believe it when Kendall told me."

"Neither can we." He gave Jack a quick hug and gave Katya a hug too.

"I'm so glad you're here, Katya."

"Me too."

"Are there any leads? Have you heard anything?" Jack shook his head and put an arm around Irina.

"No, we have absolutely no leads. The police have no leads and nothing shows up on satellite and surveillance pictures."

"How can that be?"

"There were no satellites or surveillance cameras in the area of the school, so they can easily have switched cars or driven the vans into a truck. That could've driven away with the vans inside and we wouldn't be able to tell. It's a trick we use ourselves in the CIA."

"Kendall said that you suspected Sloane. I guess that's still the case then."

"Yes, he's our strongest suspect at the moment. Especially, since we were given coordinates for his supposed whereabouts last month." Sergei nodded and then shook his head.

"I still can't believe that they were kidnapped." Katya gave him a pad on the back.

"Why don't I make us all some tea. I think we could all need a cup." Irina nodded.

"Thank you." Katya smiled and walked to the kitchen to make the tea.

* * *

The rest of the evening was mostly spent in silence. No one really felt like talking about anything. A few hours after getting home, they all decided to go to bed. Sergei was staying too, and had packed a bag just before being picked up by the agents, who took him to the safe location. Before going to bed Jack and Irina walked around in the triplets' rooms just walking around in silence. They went to Caitie's room as the last one. Irina picked up Fluffy from the bed and sat down.

"They should be in their beds sleeping now." She hugged the teddy bear tightly and started sobbing. Jack sat down on the bed too, hugging her tightly and letting his own tears fall. "Where are they, Jack? Where are they?"

"I don't know. But we have to believe that they're unharmed no matter what. We can't allow ourselves to think that they're injured or in physical pain."

"I want them back. I want them here with us. I want to hold them, kiss them, and hug them."

"Me too. But we'll get them back. I promise you that. We'll get them back." They held each other and cried together for a while longer sitting on Caitie's bed before going to their own bedroom.

* * *

The next day Jack and Irina hadn't slept much. Neither had anyone else for that matter. They went to work hoping that they would find out something about the triplets' whereabouts, or that the kidnappers would get in touch with them, so that they knew what it would take to get the triplets back. But nothing happened. They weren't contacted by anyone, and even though they searched anything and everything, they didn't get any further in getting the triplets back. They went home that evening with no results like the evening before.

The following day after that was not much different from the previous day. No one had slept much, and the morning didn't provide them with any leads and they weren't contacted either. After lunch Chase showed up at APO. She had been in London on the day of the kidnapping and after taking care of the business she was there for, she stayed around to get people there in on the case regarding the triplets. She walked straight to the meeting room where she knew everyone was waiting. When she walked in, she was a little stunned to see the devastated looks on everyone's faces. Especially on Irina's face. She knew that the immediate family was heartbroken. Dixon had told her, but she also knew that, that would be a normal reaction. But she wasn't quite expecting everyone to look as broken as they did. Everyone looked at her when she walked in and when she had walked to the head of the table, she looked at Jack and Irina and spoke sincerely.

"Let me start off by saying how sorry I am to hear what happened to your children." Jack and Irina managed a small smile and nodded.

"Thank you."

"Yes, thank you." Chase nodded back.

"I've been caught up on everything and the latest I heard was that there aren't any leads. It that still the case?"

"Yes, unfortunately it is."

"Do you still think Sloane is behind the kidnapping?"

"We don't know, but we have no reason to believe it's not him. Our children were the only ones kidnapped. If three random children were taken and one of the triplets was one of them, then we wouldn't suspect Sloane. But it has to be him."

"The kidnapping was also very professional executed. The kidnappers knew what they were doing since we have no clue as to where they are. This was obviously carefully planned. And since we haven't heard anything yet, the kidnappers are toying with us, which makes us believe even more strongly that Sloane's behind it."

"Since we have no leads all we can do is check everything again and wait." Irina looked at Chase incredulously.

"Wait?" Chase nodded. "These are our children. We can't just wait. We have to get out there and look for them."

"And where do you suggest we look? We have no leads. We can't just go out and look when we have nothing to go on. It would be like looking for a needle in a haystack. Since your children are the only ones kidnapped, we have to assume that someone is out looking for revenge. That will more than likely mean that the kidnappers will make contact, when he or she is ready to make demands."

"More than likely? Just what is that supposed to mean?"

"It means that if Sloane is the kidnapper or it's someone else, who's out to get back at you, you should prepare yourselves for the worst. There's a chance you'll never see your children again." Irina gasped and started crying even more, putting her face in her hands. Everyone was stunned by Chase comment too, and Jack gave her his death glare.

"That's not what we need to hear right now." She glared back at him.

"The world isn't picture perfect, Jack. We all know what Sloane is capable of, so you might as well prepare for the worst and realize that you might never see your children again." Chase received glares from everyone, and even Dixon was shaking his head slightly at her. She glared back at everyone. "It's best to be realistic. I'll be at headquarters. Call me if anything happens." When no one nodded at her or said anything else, she left APO. Jack caressed Irina's back.

"Let's go to my office and sit down for a while." She nodded slightly and she and Jack left in silence. Everyone else looked around at each other and got back to work.

* * *

A week after the triplets had been kidnapped there were still no leads on them. Everyone was tired, frustrated, and they all felt helpless. Jack and Irina were in Jack's office looking blankly at the wall and floor.

"It's been a week, Jack. Why haven't we heard anything?" He caressed her knuckles with his thumb.

"I don't know. We'll hear something eventually. Right now we're just being toyed with, but I know we'll hear something eventually."

"They were supposed to have summer vacation soon. We were going to take them to the cabin."

"We still can. We'll get them back safe and sound and we'll take them to the cabin. I promise you that." She nodded slightly and they sat in silence again.

A few minutes later they heard Marshall yelling.

"JACK. IRINA. JACK. IRINA." They got up off their seats in a split seconds and went to the door as Marshall came bursting through it.

"Marshall, what is it?" Marshall was completely out of breath.

"Just…got…..I….just…..got….wo….word…"

"Marshall, you're not making any sense. Catch your breath and then go on." Marshall nodded and allowed for his breathing to return to normal. Everyone else gathered around outside Jack's office from hearing Marshall yelling for Jack and Irina.

"Langley received a coded message and with that a message in English saying 'the triplets'." Jack and Irina's eyes shot up in relieve of hearing something about their children for the first time in a week.

"And? Did you decode the message?"

"No, Langley just sent it. I just wanted to let you know first." Jack nodded.

"Okay. Start decoding the message right away."

"I'm on it." He gave them a quick smile, equally thrilled that this was the first piece of information in a week regarding the triplets.

Jack turned to Irina and smiled a little before they hugged each other tightly. Sydney and Nadia stepped into the office.

"Dad, what was that about? Did Marshall just say that Langley had received a coded message indicating something about the triplets?" Jack nodded and smiled a little.

"Yes. Marshall is starting on decoding the message now." They smiled a little at their parents.

"This is good. We'll finally know something about the triplets." Jack nodded.

"Yeah, hopefully."

"I'm sure of it."

"We'll just go and see if Marshall needs our help. You just stay here and stay positive." He nodded and they left.

"There's finally something on the triplets, Jack." Irina smiled a little hopeful. He nodded.

"It would seem so."

"It has to be good news. It just has to be." They hugged each other tightly again, and waited.

* * *

A few hours later everyone gathered in the meeting room. Jack and Irina had stayed away and let Marshall decode the message. Even though everyone's feelings were allover the place, they thought everyone could stay more focused on decoding the message than they could. They all looked up when Marshall walked into the meeting room. He looked confused.

"Marshall, what did the message say about our children?" Marshall shook his head a little.

"It didn't really say anything." Jack got frustrated.

"What do you mean that it didn't say anything? It must have said something."

"Yes, it did, but nothing that makes any sense."

"What did it say?"

"It said 'I'll be seeing you soon, my dove'." Jack got more frustrated.

"What? What the hell does that mean?" Marshall got nervous.

"I..I don't know."

"What do you mean you don't know?"

"I mean I don't know. I tried everything to get the message to mean something. But no matter what I tried it didn't make any sense. The letters don't make out a location, and the sentence is not a phrase from a movie or a book that could lead to a different meaning. I'm sorry, Jack, but I tried everything and I still don't know what it means." Jack nodded.

"I'm sorry, Marshall. I didn't mean to snap at you."

"It's okay. I know you didn't mean it. You're just upset that we still don't know anything about the triplets." Jack nodded again.

"I just can't believe we still don't know anything about them."

"I know who has them."

Everyone's attention turned to Irina. She was white as a ghost and looked even more scared than she'd done the entire week. She was staring blankly into space, started to shake, and her tears fell silently. Everyone looked around at each other. Jack got worried by Irina's behavior and was by her side immediately. He caressed her back.

"Who has them? Who Irina? Irina?" Irina swallowed.

"Cuvee."

**TBC**


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

Everyone stared wide eyed at Irina. No one could believe that she'd just mentioned Cuvee as the one who had the triplets. Jack's mouth had gone dry and he had to swallow a few times.

"Are you sure?" She nodded. "How can you be sure? I mean the last time we saw him, I knocked him unconscious and he might not have gotten out in time before the airstrikes really hit."

"No, I know it's him, because that's what he used to call me. He used to call me his dove." She swallowed. "And he said those exact words to me whenever he stopped by my cell, and…." She swallowed a few more times. "And he also used those exact words whenever he'd had his way with me. It was his way of reminding me that he'd be back for more." She put her face in her hands and started sobbing. Jack took her in his arms and held her tightly. Everyone looked even more horrified and Sydney and Nadia started to cry a little too.

"So all along we've thought it was Sloane, who was behind it, but it's really Cuvee. Somehow I think that's even worse." Eric looked apologetically at Jack and Irina. "Sorry, I didn't mean to make the situation even more horrible than it already is." Jack shook his head.

"It's okay. We might as well be realistic about it." Irina nodded too.

"Is there any particular reason why Cuvee would want to kidnap the triplets?" Irina shook her head.

"No, none other than being out to get me and possibly Jack. At least I can't think of anything."

"I hate to ask this question, but do you think Cuvee is out to hurt the triplets?" Irina shuddered by Dixon's question.

"I don't know. It's Cuvee after all, so I fear that he might. But maybe he's just kidnapped them in order to get to me. I'm sure he wants something else than just taking them."

"Yes, the message did say that he'd be seeing you soon."

"But what does that mean? Is he planning on showing himself and asking for money or something else?" Jack was clearly frustrated. Dixon shook his head slightly.

"We don't know. But we have to assume that whatever he wants, it has to do with Irina." Irina was close to throwing up.

"Excuse me." She ran out of the meeting room with a hand on her mouth.

Sydney and Nadia looked in the direction of their mother and then back at their father. Jack nodded and they both ran after her. Jack turned around to face everyone and had a murderous glare in his eyes.

"That bastard will not get her. I don't care what he wants, but he is not getting her. He's hurt her too much, and I will not allow him to hurt her like that again or in any other way. I would rather die than see him hurt her again."

"We don't want to see her hurt either. We'll do whatever we can to catch him, but we might have to wait for him to make the next move. We have no leads, so we have nothing to go on." Jack nodded.

"Yeah, I suppose you're right. But I just can't stand to sit by and do nothing while that bastard has my children." Katya stepped forward.

"We know, Jack. But you have to stay positive and believe that we'll get them back safely. If you don't believe that then it'll eat you up inside and that's no good. You have to stay positive."

"It's already eating me up inside. So excuse me if I can't stay positive."

"You have to. We all have to." He nodded slightly and ran a hand over his head.

"Yeah, maybe." A few moments later Sydney and Nadia returned. Jack looked at them. "Where's your mother?"

"She's in your office." He nodded and looked at everyone else.

"Now that we know who has them get in touch with headquarters and Washington. They'll get in touch with every international intelligence agency and tell them to be on the lookout for Cuvee."

"We'll get right on it, Jack." He nodded and went towards the door. Just before walking out, Sydney and Nadia gave him a hug. He gave them each a kiss on the forehead and left for his office.

* * *

When he got to his office he found Irina sitting in his chair. She was staring blankly into space and looked very pale. Knowing what Cuvee had done to her, he feared for what he'd do to the triplets and what the message could mean. He slowly approached her and squatted down in front of her taking her hands in his.

"How are you?" She swallowed a few times.

"Not good. I'm scared, Jack. Scared for what he'll do to the kids and scared of not knowing what he's up to. He doesn't like children." She started to shake and cry again. "God, if he's hurt them. I can't stand to think that he's hurt them." Jack took her in his arms, hugging her tightly and letting his own tears fall.

"We'll get them back. I promise you that we'll get them back. He can't just take them and not show himself or make any demands. The message also indicated that he'll make some sort of contact. Unfortunately, with no leads to go on, we'll have to wait for him to make his next move."

"I know we have to, but it just hurts so badly not knowing where they are and how they are."

"Yes, it hurts like hell. But now that we know that he's the one who has them, I'm sure that he won't make us wait long before we hear from him again."

"I hope you're right." They stayed in Jack's office hugging each other for a while longer in silence before joining the others.

* * *

The next few days went by without no leads and no clues as to where the triplets were. Everyone was getting more and more frustrated from not hearing anything more from Cuvee. Jack and Irina got more and more scared, but tried to the best of their abilities to keep calm, and trying to remind themselves that they were just being toyed with. Everyone also had a hard time sleeping or resting, so they were also all exhausted.

Four days after getting the coded message they still hadn't heard anything. Jack and Irina were just sitting in his office not really capable of doing much of anything. Suddenly Dixon walked hurriedly into the office. They both looked up when he entered.

"Hayden just called. Headquarters received a disc including a message entitled 'the triplets'. The disc more than likely contains a video." Jack and Irina got out of their seats immediately.

"And?"

"The disc is being analyzed as we speak. They want to make sure it doesn't contain any traps or anything else that could be harmful. As soon as it's done Hayden will bring it over."

"How soon will that be?"

"The tests will take a few hours. The team they've got working on it, will work as fast as they can." Irina nodded.

"Yeah, we know." Dixon smiled a little.

"I know it's hard to stay positive, but we'll more than likely have some new leads. Cuvee will more than likely make some kind of demands. It'll only be a few hours before we know." They both managed to smile a little at him.

"Thank you, Marcus." He nodded.

"I'll just let everyone know about the disc and give you some privacy. Is there anything I can get you?"

"No, thank you."

"You know if you need anything, all you have to do is call one of us."

"Yeah, we know." Dixon nodded.

"I'll just inform everyone." He left and Jack and Irina looked at each other. They both looked a little scared for what the disc would contain. If it was a video, they hoped to see the kids and that they were alive and well. Jack took her face in his hands.

"Just a few hours, and then we'll know more." She nodded through her tears.

"Yeah." He hugged her and kissed her head.

"Just a few hours."

A little while later Sydney and Nadia joined their parents in their father's office. They all sat in silence and took comfort in just being together. No words needed to be said, because no words could make the situation better.

A while later Vaughn, Eric, and Katya joined them too. Like Sydney and Nadia they sat down and joined in the silence. Later Marshall and Carrie joined them too, and a while later again Kendall and Dixon came in too. Everyone immediately looked at the two of them, but Dixon shook his head, indicating that there was no news yet.

When another hour went by without any news Katya, Kendall, and Dixon went out to get everyone a cup of coffee or tea. Everyone accepted the cup of coffee or tea in silence, only giving a short nod. When they were done, pretty much everyone was playing with their cup in their hands.

Another hour passed and by now Jack and Irina were pacing around in Jack's office. No one knew what to say to them, and decided to let them pace. The truth was, no one could really sit still. Everyone was nervous for what would be on the disc.

Thirty minutes later Jack's phone rang. Jack nearly ran to get it.

"Bristow."

"_Sir, Director Chase is here."_

"Thank you." He hung up without saying anything else and looked around at everyone else. "She's here." They all looked around at each other nervously, and took a few deep breaths before going out to meet Chase.

Chase looked around at everyone when they met up with her.

"Let's see what's on this disc." They nodded and everyone walked into the meeting room.

Chase gave Dixon the disc and he set things up so they could watch it, while everyone took a seat around the table. When Dixon was done, he took a seat too, and looked at Jack and Irina.

"Ready?" They both shook their heads a little. Jack looked at him.

"No, not really, but play the disc." Dixon nodded and pressed play.

Cuvee immediately came into view when the disc started to play. He had that same evil grin on his face that he always had. It made Irina shiver and Jack took hold of her hand.

"_Hello Irina, my dove. It seems you've been quite busy. Triplets. I must say that I'm impressed that a woman your age could have triplets. But then again you're not like most women, are you?"_ He laughed and then he shook his head._ "However, I'm disappointed that you had them with that bastard husband of yours. I thought I had re-educated you better to never want to have anything to do with that pig again." _He smirked on screen as Irina gripped Jack's hand tighter. _"Hello Jack. How does it feel to know that I have your children? How does it feel to be absolutely helpless?"_ Jack stared angrily back at Cuvee's face on the screen. _"I don't care much for children, but there's something about yours. Probably because they look like their mother. Well, except for the boy. He looks too much like you, Jack, for my liking. Poor kid. I'm sure that you want to know about your children. Well, allow me to tell you that they're just fine." _He laughed evilly._ "For now at least."_ Everyone gasped a little and swallowed. _"You won't be seeing them here on your screen, but I'll allow you to see some recent pictures of them. My partner will show you them."_

Everyone looked around at each other briefly.

"Partner? He's not working alone?" They all looked back at the screen and gasped again when they saw that yet another familiar face appeared on screen.

"_Hello everyone."_ Sydney shook her head.

"Sloane? He's in on this? They're working together?" Everyone shook their heads in disbelief as Sloane continued to speak.

"_Hello Irina. Sydney. Nadia."_ He spoke with what he himself would call warmth, but it made everyone's skin crawl, just like Cuvee's voice had done. Sloane now smirked. _"Hello Jack. I get my hands on your children once again. Of course, this time I actually know that they're yours."_ He smiled. _"Sydney. Nadia. I still think of you as my daughters. I know before the paternity test that you were probably never really my daughter, Sydney. But I recruited you to SD-6, and I took care of you when your own father neglected you. Remember that."_ He smiled and they could tell that he was reminiscing. Sydney shook her head.

"Newsflash you sick bastard. My father never neglected me."

There was a time when she'd believed that he had. But since knowing the truth about him and her mother, she had over the years come to know more and more that he'd always loved her, and that he'd always done whatever he could to protect her and the ones she loved, thereby never neglecting her. There had never been any doubt about that since about Sovogda. She had come to understand why her father had been so hurt by her mother and what led him to be the way he had been for so many years. But when her parents got back together he changed more and more. He was happy, smiling, and not afraid to show emotions. It was a long time ago that it had been awkward for her father to hug her, kiss her, or tell her he loved her. But not anymore. As a child she'd always thought she wanted her father to pay attention to her. What she'd come to realize as an adult, was that all she wanted was for her father to be happy and smiling. If he was happy, she was happy. And he'd been that truly, for the last five years. Not even Sloane or Cuvee could change that.

"_Nadia. You once were my daughter. We both believed that. I loved you as my daughter__, and I still love you. We could have changed the world together, if you hadn't betrayed me. It could've been so beautiful."_ Nadia shook her head as well.

"He's really only gotten more sick and twisted over the years. He makes me want to throw up." Sloane smirked.

"_I might never be able to be a father to the two of you, but then I'm lucky that I can be that to your siblings."_ He laughed evilly while everyone in the meeting room gasped and stared wide eyed. Tears started to fall from Irina's, Sydney's, Nadia's, Carrie's, and Marshall's eyes. Jack was teary eyed too. _"You can relax for now. We haven't started the treatment yet and it'll take a while before we do. We're doing some changes to the same treatment Sydney went through, when she was made to believe that she was Julia Thorne. This time I'm sure it'll be more affective, since I doubt the triplets have been through Project Christmas."_ He laughed again. _"But you can be sure that one day they'll be calling me 'daddy', and I'll be the one they run to for comfort. I'll see them grow up and live their lives. I'll give my daughters away at their weddings and all three of them will give me beautiful grandchildren. And you can be sure that I'll be a better parent than either of you are. I'll give them new names, and I think that Arvin Junior is a perfect name for my future son."_ Jack hugged Irina tighter. _"But let me show you those pictures that Gerard was talking about."_ He held them up to the camera and the camera zoomed in on them. Everyone gasped again when they saw pictures of the triplets being tired up and blindfolded. Irina shook her head.

"Oh god, Jack. Look at them." Jack swallowed and his own tears fell silently.

"Yeah, I know. But we'll get them back. He won't be able to hurt them. Not the way he intends to." Cuvee put a hand on Sloane's arm, indicating him to remove the pictures from the camera.

"_I think you've looked at them long enough. They cry for you a lot and scream your names out loud a lot. It's really annoying. But once we've convinced them that Arvin is their father that will stop."_

"_Yes, I'm really looking forward to becoming their father." _They both laughed and everyone in the meeting room shook their heads.

"_Well, this little greeting is coming to an end, but let us just introduce another member of our team. It's someone you know too."_ Everyone had no idea who to expect this time, but nodded their heads when Sark stepped into view. He gave them his usual smile.

"_Hello to all of you."_

"Of course Sark's involved too."

"_We sent Langley coordinates of my supposed whereabouts to the middle of nowhere in a forest in Russia to get you out of the country. We knew that you would jump at the chance to catch me and that you would be thorough, so we knew that you'd be out of the country for a few days. That gave us the opportunity to sent Sark to LA, to get closer to the school, so that he could get an inside look at it, and know when the triplets would be out for recess."_ All three laughed. _"Yes, everything is indeed carefully planned out."_ Sark smiled a little more.

"_I must say you have some lovely children. But since I've met Sydney, I of course already know that you make lovely children together. I hope to meet you one day too, Nadia."_ Sloane nodded.

"_Believe me__, Sark,, you will one day."_ They all stared wide eyed at the screen as they watched Cuvee, Sloane, and Sark laugh on screen. Cuvee took a step forward.

"_Well, this has been fun and all, but we have to go. We'll be in touch. I'll be seeing you__ soon, my dove."_ Then the video stopped and Irina broke down crying. Jack hugged her even tighter.

The rest sat looking at the blank screen for a little while without saying anything. Jack finally spoke after a few moments of silence.

"Take the disc and analyze the video. Analyze every sound, every movement, every detail. Everything. I want to know where they are, so that we can get the kids home, and put Cuvee, Sloane, and Sark behind bars where they belong." Everyone nodded and got up from their seats.

Dixon took the disc out and gave it to Marshall, who ran off towards his office immediately. Carrie gave Irina's shoulder a squeeze before going off towards Marshall's office. Katya walked over to Jack and Irina.

"Why don't the two of you go into Jack's office? I'll bring you a cup of coffee. We'll take care of everything and get you when we have some answers." Jack nodded slightly.

"Yeah. Thanks." Jack and Irina went to his office, while the rest of them went to Marshall's office to help out with analyzing the video.

* * *

When Jack and Irina got into Jack's office they sat down across from each other holding hands. A few moments later Katya came into the office with their coffee. She left them alone, knowing that although they needed their family and friends around, they also needed their space and room to breathe and absorb all the new information. Nothing anyone said could make the situation better anyway.

An hour and a half later, Chase went to Jack's office. Before walking in she looked at them. They were holding each other and crying. She had seen day after day how heartbroken and devastated they were, but somehow she was still stunned by their behavior. It seemed so unnatural to her to see them like this. Especially to see Irina like this. She stood and looked at them for a few seconds more before walking in.

"Excuse me." Irina hadn't been able to feel much of anything since the triplets had been kidnapped. But hearing Chase's voice she raised her head rapidly and spat at her.

"What? Do you have some remark you want to throw in our faces? Or just at me? Do you have something hurtful to say, when I'm feeling like hell?" Chase was stunned by Irina's outburst, but shook her head and spoke softly.

"No that's not why I'm here."

"Then what?"

"I just wanted to let you know that we're doing everything we can to find your children and get them home safely. I assure you that we won't rest until we find them. We haven't gotten any leads yet from analyzing the video, but I'm sure we will. That's just all I wanted to tell you. If there's anything I can do for you, let me know." Irina eased up on her angry expression and nodded. Jack nodded too and Chase nodded back. "I'll just leave you alone, and go back and help out." She smiled a little hopeful and then left.

* * *

Hours later Jack and Irina had moved to the meeting room after having paced around APO from time to time. They were frustrated, restless, and angry that there was nothing they could do. That they didn't know where their kids were. When the doors opened and everyone else walked in, they got up from their seats and walked a little closer.

"Well?" Everyone looked around at each other. Dixon took the lead and shook his head.

"I'm sorry, but there are no leads." Jack and Irina both looked around at everyone dumbfounded.

"What? What do you mean that there are no leads? That can't be possible. There must be something."

"I'm sorry, Jack, but there really are no leads or clues." Jack shook his head angrily.

"That can't be true. What about a specific noise or something that can pinpoint a location?" Marshall shook his head.

"No, there's absolutely nothing. The video was professionally made. They counted for everything. They made sure that there was nothing for us to analyze. You saw that they'd put up sheets in the background. All we could make out was that there was a brick wall behind it, and that could be anywhere in the world. There were no noises that could give us a specific location or just an area. The pictures of the triplets didn't give anything away either. I'm sorry, Jack, but there's nothing. We don't know where they are." Jack got more and more angry.

"There has to be something. Anything. Go back and analyze the video again. You must've missed something." Sydney and Nadia stepped forward. They both had tears in their eyes.

"Dad, there's nothing in the video. We've checked the video thoroughly several times, and we still can't find anything."

"No matter how many times we analyze the video, the result will still be the same. There are simply no clues." Jack shook his head more and more.

"No, no, no, no, no. There has to be something. Anything. We can't just sit around and keep waiting." He started to raise his voice more and more. "There must be something you overlooked. There has to be a clue. There has to be. THERE HAS TO BE." He spun around and threw the coffee mug he was holding at one of the monitors. It shattered and most of them gasped a little.

Jack slowly turned around to face everyone. His chest was heaving from being so worked up. No one knew what to say to him. He still had an angry expression on his face. Irina placed a hand on his shoulder and he turned to look at her. She moved her hand to his cheek and for a few seconds they just looked at each other. Irina's tears were falling from her eyes and in a split second Jack broke down sobbing. He buried his face in her shoulder and they held each other tightly. The rest of them looked around at each other, not really knowing what to do. Sydney and Nadia joined in the hug, and cried too. Everyone else silently left the meeting room and went back to check the video again.

A few hours later they returned with the same result. They still didn't have any idea of where the triplets were. Jack and Irina then went home. Soon everyone else went home too. Eric and Marshall stayed at APO. A few days after the kidnapping, everyone had agreed that two people would stay at APO throughout the night, in case anything happened. The two people staying would be able to sleep while they were there though. But in case anything happened, the people staying could start to analyze or work out on how to approach things, until everyone else got there.

* * *

Nothing happened that night after they'd seen the video, and nothing happened the following days. Everyone turned up at APO every day, more tired and frustrated with each passing day. Five days after they'd seen the video, Jack and Irina left for APO. As they walked out of the door, they saw Katya pulling into the driveway. She'd been at APO during the night with Dixon. They walked towards her, and she walked towards them when she got out of the car.

"Did anything happen during the night?" Katya shook her head.

"No. If anything had happened, you would've known about it." Irina nodded.

"Yeah, we know. Are you coming back to APO, or are you staying here for a while?"

"I'm just going to have a shower, something to eat, and then I'm going to APO again. Marcus and I slept plenty at APO."

"Okay. We'll leave then. We'd offer to wait for you, but we really want to get there in case anything shows up." Katya nodded.

"Of course. Go. I'll see you soon." She hugged Irina and gave both her and Jack an optimistic smile.

* * *

Jack and Irina left for APO. They didn't communicate much in the car. Both of them were too much lost in thought. However, something caught Jack's attention in the rear-view mirror. He looked again and Irina noticed him.

"What is it, Jack?"

"We're being followed." She stared a little wide eyed.

"What? Are you sure?"

"Yes. There are two black vans a few cars back. Both of them have tinted windows." Irina looked in her side-view mirror and then straight ahead.

"I see them."

"Get APO on the phone." She nodded and took out her phone. She tried, but didn't get a signal.

"It's not working."

"What?"

"There's no signal. They must be blocking it."

"Damn it." He shook his head. "We have to get off the road and see if we can't shake them." She nodded. They passed an access road and another black van joined them.

"Jack, now there are three of them."

"I see it. We'll get off at the next exit. Keep trying to get in touch with APO." She nodded.

They got off the highway, and the three vans followed them. As they kept driving another black van drove out in front of them a little further ahead of them.

"They're determined to get us. We need to get out of here and fast."

"I know. Still no contact with APO?"

"No, none."

"I don't think we'll be able to get in touch with them. Hang on and get your gun out just in case."

Jack floored it and pulled down the next street. The vans followed him and drove just as fast. He drove down several streets trying to get rid of them, but they were still hot on his tail. Just as they passed another street, another van exited that one and drove right next to them. It drove closer and closer to Jack and Irina's car, pressing their car further to the right. Jack drove faster but didn't really get away from them. Just as they were about to pass a street on their right, another van came out of that street and got in front of them. That surprised Jack. He bumped into the car next to him a little bit, but got control over the car quickly. The car in front of them slowed down a little.

"You have to hit the car, Jack. There's a street coming up on my right, and that's the only chance we'll have for a long time."

"Hang on."

He floored it even more, and hit the car. He then pulled to the right, but the car in front of him followed him. Jack hit the car again, but the same thing happened. They were nearly at the street, and Jack tried again. The third time he hit the car and pulled to the right, the other car didn't follow. They successfully drove to the right, and Jack floored it again. But they'd only driven a little down that street, when a van came from the right and forced Jack to make a quick turn to the left. He drove down that street, but was soon forced to take a turn to the right. They drove for a long time not able to go any other way but straight ahead. Then they were forced to make a left turn again.

"They planned this. They planned to trap us."

"It's not over yet."

They continued to be forced in new directions and eventually ended up near the harbor by some rundown buildings. Irina looked in her side-view mirror and counted nine vans following them. They continued driving in and out of roads, not able to get out of the area they were in. The vans came closer and closer and as they were just about to pass one of the buildings, another van rammed into them from the side. It had been hidden by the building and they had not been able to see it. Their car spun around, and two other vans joined the other ten. They all quickly formed a circle around Jack and Irina's car and got out of their cars. Before Jack and Irina's car had stopped moving, smoke bombs were thrown into their car. When their car stopped they tried to focus, but couldn't. When their doors were opened, they were shot, and their worlds went dark.

* * *

A while later at APO Sydney and Nadia were looking at their watches not knowing what was taking their parents so long in getting there. They thought for sure that they would've left by now. Kendall walked over to them.

"Have you girls heard anything from your parents?"

"No, we were just thinking about asking you the same question."

"Do you think that they're just staying at home for a little while longer before coming to work?"

"I don't think they would do that. Or at least I don't think they would do that without telling us about it."

"No, I don't think they would do that either." Kendall nodded.

"Yeah, I think you're right. Try calling them on their phones." They nodded and Sydney tried getting in touch with their mother, while Nadia tried getting in touch with their father.

"Mom's phone is not on."

"It's the same with dad's." Sydney and Nadia looked at each other worried about what might have happened.

"They wouldn't shut their phones off." Kendall got concerned too.

"Try calling them at home." Nadia dialed and waited for someone to answer the phone.

"_Bristow residence."_

"Katya, it's Nadia. Have mom and dad left yet?"

"_Yes, they left a while ago. I met them in the driveway as I go__t here. Why?"_

"We've tried getting in touch with them on their phones, but they're not picking up. And what's worse is that they've shut off their phones."

"_They wouldn't do that."_

"Exactly, so we're worried that something has happened to them."

"_Get Marshall and tell him to look into surveillance and satellite pictures along the route they drive to get to work. I'm leaving now. I'll be there as soon as I can."_

"Okay, bye."

"_Bye."_

"She didn't know where they were either?"

"No. She said they left as she got home."

"Oh no. This can't be good."

"Katya said to get Marshall to look into satellite and surveillance pictures of the route they use to get to work." Kendall nodded.

"That's a good place to start. I'll tell Marshall to get right on it." He left but then turned back around to look at them. "There might be a perfectly good reason why they're not here yet or answering their phones. There's no reason to jump to any conclusions yet. Stay positive." He smiled a little and they smiled back the same way nodding. He gave them a nod in return and went to talk to Marshall. Sydney and Nadia looked at each other, still worried sick. They then went to tell Vaughn and Eric what had happened.

* * *

Marshall started looking into satellite and surveillance pictures right away, and after a while he spotted them on screen. On some other pictures he noticed the two vans that had started following Jack and Irina. He immediately got out of his office.

"You all need to come and see this." Everyone followed him into his office and looked at the screen.

"What is it, Marshall?"

"Here you have Jack and Irina." He pointed at their car on the screen. "And then look here." He pointed at the vans. "Black vans. Not one, but two. The windows are tinted. I think they're being followed." Sydney and Nadia gasped.

"Oh no."

"This can't be happening."

"Keep going, Marshall." Marshall nodded and continued to look at the pictures. He pointed at a new picture.

"There's another black van coming from that access road."

"Next."

"Oh wait. They're no longer there. They must've exited. Hang on, I'll just see if there are any pictures from that exit." It took a few seconds for him to find which cameras to get footage from. "There they are again." He went on to the next picture.

"There's another van like the others, and it's right in front of them." Marshall went through more pictures, but then there were no more.

"Where did they go? Marshall what happened?"

"They drove into an area where there are no cameras. Hang on, I'll see if I can find other cameras or something." He tried for a while, but nothing happened. He turned around and looked at everyone. "I'm sorry, but there are no more pictures."

"No. That can't be true."

"I'm sorry, Syd, but it is." Sydney and Nadia started crying. Vaughn and Eric comforted them. Kendall shook his head frustrated.

"You mean to tell us that they just vanished like that?"

"Yes. I've tried everything I could, but there are no surveillance or satellite pictures in the area."

"Keep trying. I know it's probably impossible, but keep trying." Marshall nodded and turned back to the screen. "I'm going to call headquarters, and have them send people out in the area. There must be some clues as to what happened."

* * *

A little while later Dixon and Katya arrived at the same time. They both spotted Kendall coming out of his office and went straight to him.

"Any news on Irina and Jack?"

"We believe they've been kidnapped too." They both stared a little wide eyed.

"What? What makes you say that?"

"We did like you said, and we noticed several black vans following them, and driving in front of them. But after a while they drove into an area where there were no surveillance or satellite pictures."

"What's being done?"

"I called headquarters and had them send out a large team to investigate the area. They'll be searching for miles. At this time, there's not much we can do other than wait to hear what they have to say. Marshall has tried to see if he could find other pictures, but he hasn't found anything new." Katya nodded.

"Where are the girls?"

"In Jack's office with Vaughn and Eric." She nodded and left. Dixon and Kendall looked at each other, feeling a little helpless.

"I'm just going to look at the pictures Marshall found, so I can get in on things." Kendall nodded and Dixon left.

Hours went by without them hearing anything. They got a few reports from time to time from the team that was sent out to investigate, but they didn't have anything to report. It went like that for the rest of the day. Everyone went home feeling helpless and a little scared.

* * *

The next day in the early afternoon there was finally some news. Small pieces of broken headlights from a car had been found by the harbor in a rundown area. There were also some skid marks. No one could say for sure whether those belonged to Jack and Irina's car and the vans. But they believed it was a possibility since Jack and Irina could've been headed towards that area.

Everyone gathered in the meeting room and Chase walked to the head of the table.

"We don't really have a clue as to what has happened to Jack and Irina, but for the time being we're assuming that those pieces of broken headlights belong to their car. I hate to say that we have to sit and wait to be contacted again, but for the time being that's all we can do. We have still no leads to go on. The video has been looked over a million times, but still it has giving us nothing. We also couldn't make an identification on the drivers of those vans. We'll of course look into everything again, but bottom line is that we have to wait." She looked around at everyone and spoke softly. "I know it's hard, but try and stay positive. I'm heading back to headquarters now to help with the investigation there. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that we'll hear something soon." Everyone nodded and she walked out with Dixon and Kendall.

Marshall, Carrie, and Katya got up from their seats. Marshall walked over to Sydney and Nadia.

"We're going to look at the pictures again. I'm sure your parents are fine and the triplets too." He tried his best to smile a little and they nodded.

"Thanks Marshall." They left and Vaughn and Eric got up too.

"We'll just get you both a cup of coffee." They nodded at their husbands, and Vaughn and Eric left. Sydney and Nadia looked at each other.

"The triplets are gone, and now mom and dad are too. It's not fair."

"I know."

"I just want them all back home."

"Me too."

"I wonder where they could be."

* * *

Irina started to come to. She didn't know how long she'd been out, but she expected that she'd been heavily drugged by those tranq darts. She could feel that she was chained. The cold metal sent shivers down her spine. She tried to focus, but her vision was still blurry. Looking around she could tell that she was alone. A few seconds later she heard the door being unlocked. Though her vision was still a bit blurry, she could make out who was walking towards her. Cuvee. When he reached her, he squatted down in front of her, and took her chin in his hand, so that she'd look at him. He laughed in her face.

"Welcome Irina, my dove. Welcome home to Kashmir."

**TBC**


	18. Chapter 18

**SofiaBlackBristow:** Yeah, she's back in what was once a hell for her, and things are definitely not looking good. And of course nothing is ever good with Cuvee around. I'm thrilled that you still think the story is great. Thank you for reading and commenting. :-)

* * *

**Chapter 18**

Cuvee continued to smirk at her. She came to more and more, and her vision wasn't quite as blurry anymore.

"It's so good to see you again, Irina. The last time we met here, we didn't leave off on the best of terms." He stared at her angrily. "You betrayed me." Then he smiled evilly. "And that's why you're here now." He laughed. "But we'll make up for lost time." She stared at him coldly.

"Where are my husband and children?"

She saw the fury in Cuvee's eyes and knew she'd provoked him. But at the moment her thoughts were not for her own wellbeing. She saw him raise his hand, and he slapped her hard across her face. Then he yanked her head back by grabbing her hair and spat at her.

"You traitorous bitch. You will never see your children again. Never. Soon they'll be brainwashed into believe that Sloane is their father, and they'll never remember you. They'll believe that their mother abandoned them, and that will only make them love their father so much more." He yanked at her hair even harder. "Now, as for that bastard you call your husband. He's at the moment being welcomed by Sloane and our men." Irina was immediately scared of what they were doing to him. She was scared about the triplets as well. Cuvee laughed in her face again. "Now as you can see, you're not sitting in one of the cells. Thanks to the airstrikes a few years ago, I had to do a little re-modeling to the place. I didn't think I would have any need for cells, so I didn't put them in here. But this room serves the purpose. This room wasn't damaged and it has a lot of pipes, so we can easily chain you and that pig of yours to them. We thought about not having the two of you in the same room, but then thought that it was for the best. It will be a pleasure for us that you get to see us hurting Jack, and also the other way around. That way we won't have to move you around in order to do that."

"You bastard." He yanked at her hair even harder.

"Think what you will. I really don't care. You'll be here to see everything we do to your precious husband, and there'll be no escaping this hell you're in. This place is surrounded with guards, and there are guards outside the door too. There's only a tiny vent here as you can see, so there's no way for you to escape. Not that you would be able to do that anyway. And screaming for help will do no good either." He laughed. "Well, first of all, you know how isolated this place is, and secondly, this room is pretty soundproofed. No one would've been able to hear your screams." He removed his hand from her hair and took hold of her face instead. "Face fact, Irina. This is where you'll spend the rest of your life." He brought his face closer to hers. "You decide how pleasurable you want it to be." He kissed her roughly, moving his tongue allover her mouth. She didn't respond and tried her best to pull her face away, but he held it firmly in place. She then opened her mouth slightly and bit down hard on his bottom lip. He pulled away quickly. "You bitch." He touched his lip and noticed he was bleeding. He then slapped her hard across the face and then backhanded her when he brought his hand back. "You will pay for that, and for so much more."

The door opened and Sloane stepped in. He walked towards Irina, limping and was using a cane. When he reached Irina he smirked at her.

"Hello Irina. It's good to see you again. I doubt you can say the same about me." She looked at him angrily. "Jack will be here shortly. I just wanted to welcome him first." He laughed evilly. "Though, he didn't really get a warm welcome." Her voice was low and threatening.

"Leave my husband alone." Both Sloane and Cuvee laughed at her.

"Now why would we want to do that, when we can have so much fun with him? You can be sure we're not done with him." Sloane moved his face closer Irina's. "For the time that you're here, we'll have a lot of fun with both of you." She spit in his face. She wanted to hurt him, but this was all she could do. Sloane got angry. He wiped the spit from his face and hit her hard in the face. "You need to be taught a lesson in manners." Cuvee laughed.

"Don't worry, Arvin. She will. She'll be taught real good, and she'll be taught how to beg."

They both laughed, while Irina was horrified on the inside for what they might have in mind. On the outside she tried to stay calm and strong. She didn't want them to see her falling apart, even though she felt completely helpless.

A few seconds later the door opened again. Two guards came in carrying rifles, another four guards came in carrying a heavy beaten Jack, and another two guards came walking in behind the other four also carrying rifles. Sloane and Cuvee made sure not to stand in the way. They wanted Irina to see how beaten Jack was.

Irina was horrified to see how Jack looked. His face was completely bruised and bloody, and no doubt his left eye and his mouth would swell up later on. She wanted to cry, but didn't want to do it in front of Sloane and Cuvee. Sloane took a step towards Irina.

"As you can see, I really wanted to welcome Jack." She wanted to give Sloane her death glare, but was too concerned about Jack to really pay any attention to anyone else.

One of the guards holding a rifle looked at Sloane and Cuvee.

"Where should we place the prisoner?" Cuvee pointed at the pipes that were opposite the ones Irina was chained to.

"Chain him to those pipes there. That way the two prisoners can look at each other, but are not able to touch each other, or be anywhere near able to touch each other." The guard nodded, and the guards who were holding on to Jack, sat him down and chained him with his hands behind his back to the pipes. The guards all turned around when they were done, waiting for instructions. Sloane looked at them.

"You can all leave now." They nodded and left. Cuvee squatted down in front of Irina.

"We'll leave too. For now at least. But we'll be back later." He grabbed hold of her face and squeezed hard. "You should try to be more polite the next time we come to see you."

"Go to hell, Gerard." He got angry and hit her again. This time he used his fist. Her nose started to bleed.

"On the contrary, Irina, you'll be the one going to hell." He laughed evilly. "Let me rephrase that. You're already in hell. But the hell you're in will get much worse." He stood and Sloane laughed evilly too.

"Take care, Irina. I look forward to spending more time with you."

"Go to hell too, Arvin." He slapped her hard across the face again.

"I might one day be going to hell, but you're already there now. And as Gerard said, it'll only get worse." Both Sloane and Cuvee laughed again.

Cuvee walked over to Jack, who was still out from the beating. He laughed at him and then looked back at Irina.

"Of all people you really decided to be with him. This pathetic man. You could've done so much better, but now you never will." He then looked at Jack again, raised his fist and hit him three times in the face. Jack groaned a little, and Irina was relieved that he was making sounds. Cuvee brought his face closer to Jack's. "This is merely only a little taste of what we have in store for you. Your stay will be enjoyable. Enjoyable for Arvin and I." They both laughed and Cuvee looked at Sloane. "Come on, Arvin. Let's leave them alone for a while." Sloane nodded and before leaving for the door, he caressed Irina's face. She tried to pull away.

"Later, Irina." He joined Cuvee and the two of them left the room. Seconds later the door was locked.

Irina pulled her knees up to her face and dried the blood from her nose a little. Then she looked at Jack and called out to him.

"Jack. Jack. Sweetheart." He didn't really respond, so she called out a little louder. "Jack. Jack. You need to wake up. Come on, Jack. Talk to me." He groaned a little and she spoke even louder. "Jack. Sweetheart. I need you to wake up. I need you to tell me how you're feeling. Come on, Jack. Come on." He raised his head slightly and started to open his eyes a little. She smiled. "That's it, Jack. But you need to open your eyes more. You need to be more awake. I need you to do that for me. Please Jack." He blinked a bunch of times, and finally he was able to open his eyes a little more. He managed to smile a little too.

"H…hey." She smiled even more and her tears rolled down her cheeks.

"Hi. How are you feeling?"

"Li…like h…h…hell." He tried adjusting and winced a little from the pain. He swallowed a few times and took a few seconds to get better control of his voice. "H..how are y..you?"

"I'm fine."

Jack swallowed a few times and breathed a little heavy. He rested his head against the wall and opened his eyes a little more. He could tell that she'd been beaten from the blood from her nose.

"What did they do to you?" She shook her head.

"They just slapped me a little and threw a few punched with their fits. No big deal."

"It is a big deal." She smiled. "Was that really all they did? And don't lie to me."

"Cuvee tried to kiss me. He had his mouth allover my mouth and his tongue too. I was able to bite down hard on his bottom lip. And I spit Sloane in the face. None of them liked what I did." Jack smiled a little. "And that's all that happened. What did they do to you? And don't lie to me either. I want to know everything." He gave her another little smile.

"I really can't tell you much. I was out for most of the time. Sloane gave me some smelling salt that woke me briefly. He just welcomed me to hell, and said that I would endure pain for a while before they killed me. Then he beat me a little before his men took over, and I was out cold shortly after they started beating me. And then I woke up here."

"Anything broken?"

"A rib or two, I think. If not, then they're at least severely bruised. They threw punches to my upper body, so my legs are fine. They hit me in the face a lot too, but I don't think I have a concussion. You?"

"Nothing broken. As I said they only slapped and hit me." He nodded a little.

"So, any idea where we are?" She swallowed.

"The prison in Kashmir." He looked at her concerned, having a feeling that it would bring back horrible memories for her. "Apparently Cuvee did a little re-modeling after the airstrikes."

"Are you okay?" She knew what he was referring to, and gave him a small smile.

"I'm always okay when I'm with you." He smiled back. "I don't know what they have in store for us, though I have a feeling that it won't be pleasant. But for now, I'm fine. I'm just happy that they're letting us be in the same room."

"Me too." They stayed silent for a few seconds just smiling at each other, but still scared for what was coming to them. "Have you heard anything about the kids?" She shook her head.

"No. I was only told that I'll never see them again, and that soon they'll be brainwashed into believing that Sloane is their father." They both swallowed. "I'm scared, Jack. What if the CIA doesn't find us? What if we never get out of here, and that the triplets will really believe that Sloane is their father? What if we never see Sydney and Nadia again, our grandchildren, or anyone else?"

More tears rolled down her cheeks and she looked down. He feared the same, but was determined not to think that this was how their lives ended.

"Irina, look at me." She looked at him, and could see the fear in his eyes but also the determination. "The CIA will find us, and Sloane will never, ever, be able to brainwash the triplets into believing that he's their father. We will get out of here. We have to believe that. I know it'll probably be difficult to stay strong, when it seems that there's no way out of here, but we have to try to stay positive." She nodded slightly.

"So, what do we do now?"

"Talk to pass time until they come back."

"Okay. So talk about what exactly?"

"About anything. The future seems like a good thing to talk about." She smiled at how he was staying positive. "I'm looking forward to going to the cabin for Christmas. I'm looking forward to playing in the snow with the kids and grandkids. To building a snowman and having a snowball fight."

"I'm looking forward to that too. I'm also looking forward to decorating the tree and house. And I'm especially looking forward to kissing you under the mistletoe." They smiled broader at each other. "I'm also looking forward to backing cookies with the kids, and to all of us sitting together in front of the fire drinking hot cocoa." Jack nodded.

"Yeah, and I look forward to dancing with you in the snow. And after spending a whole day outside in the cold, I look forward to getting warm with you under the covers at night." She smiled broader and nodded.

"That's my favorite way to get warm." He smiled broader too. "I look forward to seeing everyone unwrapping their presents Christmas morning." He nodded.

"And to Christmas dinner." She nodded agreeing with that too.

They continued this for a long time. Talking first about what they were looking forward to in the near future, and later on they talked about shared memories. None of them knew what time of day it was or how much time had passed. They tried not to think too much of what was to come, but concentrated on thinking about each other and their family.

Later Sloane and Cuvee came back. They walked in with a few guards. A few feet inside the room they both stopped and smiled evilly at Jack and Irina. Cuvee then walked over to Jack and squatted down in front of him.

"Hello Jack. It's good to see you again." Jack gave Cuvee his death glare, but Cuvee merely laughed in his face. "You truly are a fool if you think that glare will scare me." Sloane nodded.

"Jack certainly is a fool if he ever thought that he could beat either of us." Cuvee laughed again.

"Yes, he certainly is." He looked back at Jack. "As good as it is to see you, Jack, it's even better to see Irina. I've missed her more than I've missed you. Well, I've wanted to repay you for years for knocking me out here in the prison, and then escaping with Irina before I had a chance to kill her. But there are things I can do to Irina that I would never dream of doing to you. More pleasurable things." He laughed in Jack's face as Jack kept up with his death glare. "Though, I'll take great pleasure in watching you be tortured." He got up and moved over to Irina, while Sloane moved his head closer to Jack's.

"We all will."

Jack never took his eyes off of Cuvee even though Sloane's face was inches from his own. Cuvee squatted down beside Irina. He ran a finger down her cheek and jaw. There was no way for her to avoid his touch.

"Mmm, yes more pleasurable things indeed. Just touching her like this is quite pleasurable." He looked at Jack and met his death glare again. Cuvee just laughed. "But not quite as pleasurable as this." Cuvee removed his hand from Irina's face and started groping her breasts, squeezing hard. She tried to wrestle away from his touch but couldn't. Jack's eyes burned with fury and he screamed at the top of his lungs.

"GET YOUR HANDS OFF MY WIFE." One of the guards hit Jack in the face with the butt of his rifle, and Jack's head met the wall hard. Irina's eyes had never left Jack, and her voice shrieked with worry.

"Jack." Cuvee grabbed her face and turned it so she looked at him. He then looked over at Jack.

"She might be your wife, but right now she's my property and I'll do with her as I please." Cuvee gave Sloane a nod and Sloane grabbed Jack by his hair and by his chin, so that Jack looked at Irina and Cuvee again. "Let's see how you feel about this."

He squeezed Irina's cheeks with one hand and took hold of her head with his other hand. Then he kissed her roughly again, running his tongue allover her mouth. By squeezing her cheeks he made sure that she couldn't bite him again. Jack's eyes blazed with fury again.

"GET OFF HER YOU BASTARD. GET OFF HER NOW."

Sloane nodded at the guard that had hit Jack before, and Sloane removed his hands. The guard then hit Jack in the stomach with the butt of his rifle a few times. He then hit Jack a few times in the face with the butt of the rifle. Once the guard stopped, Jack was coughing and had to take deep breaths, while he looked over at Irina again. Cuvee was still allover her mouth, but soon stopped and let go of her. His face was still near hers and she managed to spit him in his face. A small smile tugged at the corner of Jack's mouth, but no one noticed. Now Cuvee's eyes blazed with fury and he slapped Irina hard across the face several times before drying his face.

"You disgusting bitch. I thought you'd learned some manners by now." He grabbed her by the face again, this time he made sure to cover her mouth so she wouldn't spit on him again. He looked her in the eyes. "You will come to enjoy my lips on yours. You will come to enjoy me. I promise you that." Irina gave him her death glare in return even though she was scared of what he had in mind. Jack swallowed, equally fearing what Cuvee had in store for Irina. Cuvee smirked. "I'll probably enjoy you sooner than you'll enjoy me. And believe me, I'll enjoy you soon. Just like old times." Jack narrowed his eyes at Cuvee and spoke in a low and threatening voice.

"I will kill you before I let you lay a hand on my wife. You will never get to hurt her the way you did in the past."

The guard, who had hit Jack before, was just about to hit Jack again with his rifle, but Cuvee waved a hand in the air stopping the guard. Cuvee let go of Irina and walked over to Jack. He squatted down in front of him and smirked at him.

"And just how do you plan to kill me? You're in intelligence, so you should be able to figure out that you're chained and in no position to escape or inflict pain on anyone." He laughed in Jack's face. "You will never be able to kill me. Instead you'll watch me having fun with your wife. Oh yes, Jack, you'll watch. I don't really like an audience, but I want you to watch me having fun with Irina. Having fun with her the way I used to." He continued to laugh and Jack decided to do what Irina had done. He spit Cuvee in the face. Cuvee got furious. He wiped the spit off his face and seconds later he was throwing punch after punch at Jack's head and body. This time Irina screamed at the top of her lungs.

"LEAVE HIM ALONE YOU BASTARD. LEAVE MY HUSBAND ALONE." Cuvee spun around and looked at her.

"SHUT UP YOU BITCH. JUST SHUT THE HELL UP." He then continued to beat Jack. A few seconds later he stopped and looked at an even bloodier Jack than before. Jack coughed and breathed heavily. Cuvee grabbed him by his hair. "Just you wait, Jack. Just you wait. I will let this be it for tonight, but you can be sure that this is just a soft beginning for what's to come." He then got up and stormed out of the room. Sloane looked between Jack and Irina and smirked at them.

"Gerard is right. Worse things are in store for both of you." He laughed. "We actually just came to say goodnight. Since there's no window down here in the basement, we just wanted to inform you that it's night time. Since you haven't behaved, you won't get any dinner. But since you're not staying at a luxury hotel, you really can't expect to get a royal treatment. Sleep well, and I'll see you both in the morning." The guards walked out first and he followed them to the door. Before stepping out, he turned around to look at them. "Oh yes, I almost forgot." He smirked at them. "Your children are screaming and crying for you. I've been telling them that you're not coming for them, that you don't love them anymore, and that you've abandoned them. They of course don't believe me, but they will eventually. Well, they'll believe that their mother has abandoned them, and they'll believe that I'm their loving father." He laughed evilly. "It will take a little while before we start the treatment, but we will eventually, and then they'll have no memory of either of you." He took one last look at them and then turned off the lights. "Night-night." He walked out and the door was once again locked.

The room was completely dark. The small vent didn't add any light to the room. Jack and Irina couldn't really make each other out. Jack heard Irina crying and his own tears fell silently. He waited a few seconds to get his emotions in control a little.

"Irina. Are you alright?" She waited a few seconds before responding, needing to get her own emotions in control.

"I'm fine. I can handle the punches and Cuvee's saliva on me, but I'm still terrified. Terrified for what they'll do to us, and terrified of what Sloane is telling the kids and what they're going to do to them. It's hard to stay positive."

"I know. I'm terrified too."

"What about you, Jack? How are you?"

"My head is throbbing and my body is aching. And I'm filled with rage from watching what that bastard did to you. I can't stand to see you get hurt." She smiled at his protectiveness.

"I know."

"I won't let him hurt you. If it's the last thing I do in life, I promise I'll stop him before he hurts you."

She heard him struggle against the chains. She knew he was trying to see if he could break free of them. She heard him wince in pain a little and hearing him breathing a bit heavily.

"Jack, don't overdue it. The chains are solid and the pipes are strong too. You can't break free of them."

"I can try."

"But you're badly injured. Don't make it worse by trying to get out of the chains when you know you can't." She heard him try again ending up with the same result.

"Damn it."

"Jack, please. I want nothing more than to get out of here and get us all back home safe and sound. But I don't want you to hurt yourself, when we both know that we can't break out of these chains. I can't stand to see you in pain or hurt. Please stop."

"Technically, you can't see me, so you can't see if I'm in pain." He was trying to lighten the mood but didn't succeed.

"That's not funny, Jack." He sighed.

"I know. I'm sorry."

"You just told me you were in pain, and I saw you get beaten a few minutes ago, so I know you're in pain. But even though it's dark and we can't see each other, I can still see you. I can always picture you right in front of me." He smiled in the darkness.

"What do you see me doing?" She smiled too.

"You're taking your hand and tugging a loose strand of hair behind my ear."

"What else?"

"You're now caressing my cheek with that hand and you pull me closer and within a few seconds you're kissing me. Your other hand is around my waist holding me close."

"Then what?"

"Then you take my hand and lead me to the bed. You lay me gently down and start kissing me again. Then you run your hands up and down my sides and let your hands rest at my waist. You look into my eyes and smile lovingly at me. Then your smile turns into a wicked grin and you start to tickle me mercifully. The bedroom is filled with roaring laughter from both of us." Jack laughed a little and Irina did the same.

"And?"

"You continue for a while longer before you stop. Then you look into my eyes and we just stay looking at each other for a few seconds. We then start kissing again. The kissing turns into sweet lovemaking, where we explore every inch of each other. After spending most of the night making love, we fall asleep in each other's arms with my hand on your heart, feeling your heartbeat against the palm of my hand." They stayed silent for a while.

"I can picture you in the dark too." He could tell that she was smiling.

"And what am I doing?"

"You're telling me, we're going out shopping, because you feel like you could need new shoes and some new shirts. Maybe even a skirt." She laughed a little. "I roll my eyes and don't really want to go. I try to convince you to bring Sydney and Nadia. But when you start talking about also getting new towels for all the bathrooms, all in different colors, I really start to protest. You grab me by the hand and drag me with you anyway, not wanting to listen to me telling you that we don't need new towels." She laughed more.

"Go on."

"You get into the driver's seat and start to drive. You go on and on about the towels, while I close my eyes and just nod and grunt. I don't pay any attention to where we're going."

"And?"

"When you stop the car and I finally open my eyes, I see that we're no where near a mall. We're in the hills. I turn and look at you confused. You smile and give me a quick kiss before getting out of the car. I follow you and you take out a basket and a blanket from the trunk."

"Then?"

"You take me by the hand and we walk for a while before finding a nice spot. You unfold the blanket and put it on the ground. Then you start to unpack the contents of the basket. You brought cake, fruit, and coffee."

"What else?"

"We enjoy the food and coffee, sit and talk for a while, before getting up and going for a walk in the hills. We enjoy the fresh air and the hike. On our way home we pick up the triplets from one of their friends. We get home and spend some time with the kids before starting on dinner. We keep sending each other loving looks all evening."

"What happens then?"

"After a while it's time for the triplets to go to sleep. We tug them in, and go downstairs to watch a movie that's on TV. When that's over, we go to bed. Once in the bedroom you turn on the music and we dance."

"Then what?"

"You smile as I tug a loose strand of hair behind your ear. Then you smile even more when I pull you in for a kiss. You continue to smile as I lay you down on the bed and your breathing increases as I run my hands up and down your sides. You run your one hand up and down my back and the other one through my hair. I then look into your eyes and see that they're filled with love for me. The next thing I see is you realizing that I plan to tickle you mercifully for teasing me earlier in the day. Our laughter continues as music as the CD in the stereo has stopped."

"What then?"

"We look into each other's eyes and we see how much we love each other. We kiss again and make sweet love for most of the night. We fall asleep holding each other. Your hand is on my heart, and you know it's beating for you."

In the dark he could see the silent tears running down her cheeks and the smile on her face. She could see the same on his face. They stayed silent for a little while.

"I love you, Jack."

"I love you, Irina."

They stayed silent for a while longer before they started talking again. Once again they talked about shared memories and about their future. They didn't know how long they talked, but at one point they could hardly keep their eyes open. Deciding it was best to get some sleep before their captors came back, they said their goodnights and fell asleep. It didn't matter that they couldn't stay awake to see each other in the dark. They could see each other in their dreams too.

**TBC**


	19. Chapter 19

**SofiaBlackBristow:** Thank you - I'm glad you love that. I really love writing about them. Well, I love writing about all the characters but these are my favorites. Thank you for reading and commenting. Kiss to you too. :-)

**Rishka Derevko:** Thank you for thinking it's amazing - you're much too kind. You'll get more *lol* but you only get one chapter a day, and only when I have the time to post. So far 33 chapters of the story exists and I'm no where near done. But I'm also stuck a little, so it takes me time to write. Therefore there'll probably come a time when there'll be a long wait between you getting the chapters. You have to continue to read to find out what happens to everyone. *lol* I'm thrilled you love it. Thank you for reading and commenting. Kiss to you too. :-)

* * *

**Chapter 19**

Jack didn't know how long he'd been asleep when he woke up. He expected he'd been asleep for a few hours, but couldn't be completely sure. The room was still dark, so he didn't really have any sense of time. He leaned back against the wall and then looked in the direction of where Irina was sitting. Although she didn't make a sound, he could tell that she was awake.

"How long have you been awake?"

"A few minutes, I think. I've been watching you sleep. I love watching you sleep." He smiled in the dark and he could tell that she was too.

"Any idea of what time it is?"

"No. Since they left us alone here at night, I assume it's sometime in the morning. But I can't be sure."

"That's kind of what I thought too, though I really don't have a sense of time."

"Yeah, it's easy to get confused when there's no window here. How are you feeling?"

"Not much better than last night. My body is still sore and my head is throbbing. Relaxing through the night has only helped a little. But I guess you can't really call it relaxation when you're sitting up and chained."

"No you really can't."

"What about you? How are you feeling?"

"My head hurts a little, but other than that I'm not all that bad. My body is a little sore from sitting like this all night, but that's nothing really. What about your ribs? Are there anymore broken or severely bruised?"

"Probably. They feel a little worse than yesterday."

"Do you have any problems with your breathing?"

"No, my breathing is just fine."

"I want you to tell me if you start to have trouble with your breathing, or if you can feel that you have any internal damages. I know I can't do anything about it, and I know that Cuvee and Sloane won't ease up on hurting you, but I still want to know if you get any worse."

"I will. The same goes for you. I know that you haven't been beaten that much, but if you start to feel worse in any way, you tell me, and we'll talk. You know, you can tell me anything."

"I know, Jack. And I'll tell you if anything's wrong." She sighed. "Something is actually wrong."

"What is it?"

"I miss you." He chuckled a little.

"What?"

"I know we're sitting in the same room and right across from each other, but I still miss you. I miss seeing your face, even if I can picture it right in front of me. I miss sitting next to you. I miss holding your hand. I miss resting my head on your shoulder. I miss snuggling close to you, and I miss kissing you." He smiled in the darkness and his voice got playful.

"Is it just the kissing you miss, or do you also miss what comes after the kissing?" Now it was her turn to laugh. She smiled in the darkness too.

"I definitely also miss making love to you." She spoke softer. "Very much. I miss just holding each other." He spoke softer too.

"I miss all those things about you too. We'll get to do all those things again someday. I promise."

"I'm looking forward to it."

"Me too."

"I miss the kids too. Not just the triplets, but Sydney and Nadia too. And the grandkids. But at least I know that Sydney, Nadia, and the grandkids are alright. I fear for what they're doing to the triplets."

"I do too, but somehow I don't think they're hurting them worse than having them tied up and blindfolded. I mean, if Sloane intends to brainwash them into believing that he's their father, he has to start out being nice to them. Of course there's Cuvee. But maybe he doesn't have much to do with the kids. At least we can hope for that."

"Yeah, I hope you're right."

They sat in silence for a while before starting to talk again. After a while the door was opened and two guards stepped in turning on the lights. Jack and Irina both had to blink a few times to adjust to the light. They immediately looked at each other. Irina gasped a little at seeing how Jack was looking. His face was swollen at the mouth, the left cheek, left eye, and it was covered in dried blood. He looked worse than she thought he would. After taking her eyes off his face, she started to look at his body to see if she could tell anything about his condition from the way he was sitting.

Jack did the same with Irina. Her face wasn't that badly swollen, but to him it was bad enough. She had some dried blood around her nose, but other than that she seemed to be fine.

A few seconds later Cuvee and Sloane stepped into the room. They looked between Jack and Irina and laughed at them. Cuvee stepped closer to Irina.

"Hello Irina. Did you sleep well?" He ran a finger down her cheek and she tried to pull away from him. "You know, you could get a much better night's sleep, if you'd just willingly sleep with me." She gave him her death glare.

"Go to hell, Gerard." He laughed in her face.

"I'll make you like me, and I'll make you want me." He touched her face again and she tried to pull away the best she could again. He just laughed again. "But, let's for a moment concentrate on something other than you and I. I'm actually quite interested in knowing when you developed feelings for Jack." He walked over to Jack and looked at him, not really understanding why Irina would ever want to be with him. He looked back at her. "Tell me, Irina. When did you fall in love with this bastard?" She smirked at him.

"A few weeks after knowing he was my mark." Cuvee's smirk faded.

"What? A few weeks?" She nodded, and he got furious. "How is that possible? You were supposed to have been trained never to fall for him, but apparently that failed. But I thought you were trained better than to fall for an American pig that fast. How the hell did that happen? You can't honestly tell me that you fell for his good looks and charm. He isn't even good-looking." She kept smirking at him.

"As usual you know nothing, Gerard." He looked at her confused and furious, while she just continued to smirk at him. "I was actually mesmerized by Jack the first time I looked into his beautiful eyes. And when he came to pick me up for our first date, he completely took my breath away, standing there in his suit that fit his well built body perfectly. I indeed think he's good-looking. Jack is extremely handsome, sexy, and a complete turn on." Cuvee shook his head frustrated.

"That still doesn't explain why you fell for him so soon after you met him."

"I didn't fall in love with him a few weeks after we met." Cuvee looked at her even more confused and she continued to smirk at him. "Jack and I met months before I even knew he was my mark and we became a couple not long after we went out for the first time." He stared a little wide eyed at her.

"What?"

"About a month after I started at the university, Jack and I accidentally bumped into each other. He ruined my favorite shirt and wanted to make it up to me. I decided to let him, and we went out to dinner, which by the way I prefer to think of as our first date. The day after, he sent me flowers, leaving a note with his phone number and address. Knowing I wasn't supposed to get involved with anyone while waiting for my mark, I didn't contact him after that dinner. Nearly a week after our date he walked up to me, and being the gentleman that he'd been since I met him, he asked if he'd offended me. I told him no, he apologized for bothering me, and walked away. I knew I'd hurt him and I ran after him to apologize, trying to tell him that I was the one who was the problem and not him. But as much as I tried to pull away from him, there was something about him that pulled me in. To begin with I thought I could just have some fun with him while waiting for my mark, but I also hated that I eventually had to hurt him, when I had to go after my mark. You see, Gerard, Jack was the exact opposite of what I was told men in America was like. He was the perfect gentleman, and never once did he try to take advantage of me. He was genuine, kind, caring, loving, sweet, funny, always considered of my feelings, was interested in knowing about me, and not just because he wanted to get me into bed. I started liking him more and more and loved spending time with him. It wasn't until later that I realized that all the time we spent together, I wasn't just liking him more and more, I was falling in love with him."

"You bitch." She just laughed a little at Cuvee and went on.

"When I found out that Jack was my mark I was scared for what he could do to me if he found out the truth, but at the same time I was deliriously happy. But of course there was the problem that I had to pretend we were meeting for the first time, since I was being watched. On our supposed first date a week and a half after learning he was my mark, I was dressed in clothes I would never dream of wearing myself, but my handler said that it would help turn Jack on, and since my handler would come by later to check up on me, I couldn't change into something else. I knew that Jack wouldn't like what I was wearing and I was right. He got mad and I thought I'd lost him. At the end of dinner things were really awkward and I couldn't take it any longer. I didn't want the mission anymore. I ended up yelling at him that it was over and then I stormed out of the restaurant. Being the kind and caring man that he is, he ran after me wanting to apologize. Once outside he called out to me, and as I looked back at him, I fell down some icy steps and broke my leg. He went with me to the hospital and promised the doctor that he would stay with me at home throughout my recovery otherwise the doctor wouldn't let me go home. All through recovering from my broken leg and getting the flu on top of that, he was the perfect gentleman, taking great care of me, helping me with my studies, and taking care of everything around the apartment. When I got well enough to take care of myself, he said his goodbyes and promised never to bother me again. That scared the hell out of me. Not really because it meant I would fail my mission, but more because I couldn't stand the thought of losing him. So I apologized telling him I'd been wrong, and as you can guess he accepted my apology. It didn't dawn on me until much later, but that was the moment I fell in love with Jack, and I kept falling in love with him. And I'm still falling in love with him." She smirked at Cuvee before looking at Jack and smiling lovingly at him. He smiled back the same way.

"I'm still falling in love with you too, sweetheart." Cuvee looked between Irina and Jack and got more and more furious by the second from seeing the looks they gave each other. He then looked at Jack.

"I think I need to wipe that smile off your face." He punched Jack in the face a few times and laughed. Jack looked back at Cuvee and smirked.

"You can hurt me all you want, but that still won't change the fact that Irina loves me and has loved me ever since the first time, she told me that she did." Cuvee got furious again and hit Jack in the face a few more times, but still he didn't wipe the smirk off of Jack's face. Sloane laughed and walked closer to Irina.

"You might have been in love with him for that long, but you were still not the perfect and loving wife. And I'm not talking about you being a KGB agent." He looked back at Jack. "You do remember that Irina and I had an affair once, right Jack? And that I thought Sydney might be my daughter. So you see, she can't always have loved you as much as she claims. There was a time when she wanted me." Irina started to laugh and Jack couldn't help but smirk. Sloane looked at Irina confused and got annoyed too. "What's so funny?" She looked at him and smirked after she stopped laughing.

"Take a good long look at yourself in the mirror, Arvin, and then look at Jack. When you've done that, you tell me how on earth I ever wanted you. You're not half the man, Jack is. In fact you're not even a man at all. You're a pathetic, disgusting, little prick. I never wanted you, and you're delusional if you ever thought that I did." She continued to smirk at him. "Jack has a heart of gold, a smile that gives me butterflies in my stomach, and a touch that sets me on fire. He is hot and only gets hotter year after year. And I desire him, and have only ever desired him." She gave him her death glare. "The only time you had me, was when you forced yourself on me. And you were only able to do that because you had a gun to my head." He stared at her angrily.

"I woke up the next morning naked. If we didn't sleep together, then how did I end up naked?" She smirked at him again.

"I undressed you. Not because I wanted to, but because it would help convince you that we had slept together. The night before when we had finished those two bottles of red wine, you started to make advances. I didn't want your slimy hands allover me, so I excused myself and went to fix you a drink. The KGB had given me some strong sleeping pills that I could use on Jack whenever I didn't want him to touch me. I never used them on him, but they came in handy that night when you were at the house. I put them in your drink, so that you would stop making advances, and soon after, you were out like a light. I undressed you and went to sleep in my own bed. I did all of that and made you think we'd slept together, because I thought that might help you keep your distance from me. And it did. You still loved Emily and you didn't want to hurt her and Jack, because both of them, at that time, were important to you. You were scared that they would find out, so we promised never to tell any of them, and you stopped making advances after that."

"You bitch." He slapped her hard across the face a few times. When he stopped, she glared back at him.

"What does that make you then? I knew that I had been faithful to my husband, but all of these years, you thought you had been unfaithful to Emily. And even though you weren't that night, you ended up being unfaithful to her years later. You're one sick, perverted bastard." She looked over at Cuvee. "And so are you."

Cuvee stared back at her furiously. Then he took his anger out on Jack and hit him a few more times. He then walked over to Irina and hit her a few times, before grabbing her hair and yanking her head back roughly.

"And you are nothing but a whore. And I'll show you that later today and I'll show Jack that too. He will finally see you for the whore that you are, and then I'll be the one, who'll be laughing." He let go of her hair and then slapped her hard across the face. "Come on, Arvin. Let's leave these two love birds alone for a while."

"Gladly."

Cuvee stormed out of the room, while it took Sloane a little while longer due to his injured knee. The guards left as the last ones, and they left the lights on. Irina looked at Jack.

"I'm sorry, Jack." He looked at her too.

"Sorry about what? You don't think I look sexy after all?" He grinned at her, and she let out a small laugh.

"Oh yes, I most definitely do." Her smile faded. "But I didn't mean to provoke them, and then have them, take it out on you."

"They took it out on you too, and I'm sure they would've hit me anyway. Even though I don't want to see you get hurt, I'm glad you provoked them. They needed to hear that." She nodded slightly. He looked at her with a grin on his face. "So tell me. How hot am I looking right now?" She let out another laugh, but then her mood fell.

"Jack, I appreciate you trying to lighten the mood, but I think we both know what's going to happen soon. Cuvee will come back here, and he'll…" She swallowed. "He'll.."

"Don't." She looked at him with tears in her eyes as he continued to speak softly. "Don't say it. You might be right, but I can't stand to think about it, and I don't want you to think about it either. This is one time when I don't want to be realistic. I just want to keep the mood light for as long as we can." She smiled and nodded.

"Okay. We'll do that." He smiled back.

"So, getting back to the question. How hot am I at the moment with my completely bruised face?" She smiled broadly.

"You're extremely hot. I would love nothing more than to run my hands allover your hot body. Run them across your broad chest, and down your muscular arms. Caress your beautiful face, and squeeze your firm butt. Then I want to make love to you, so I can see your hot body in all its glory." He smiled back broadly.

"Well, I would say that you look extremely hot too, but you could actually use a little lipstick at the moment." That made her laugh out loud. He laughed too and then he looked at her lovingly. "No, you always look beautiful and hot no matter what. Whether you're sick with puffy eyes and a clogged nose or you're wearing your pajama pants and one of my old sweatshirts curled up on the couch with a book. Or whether you're in the middle of cleaning the bathroom, baking a cake and are covered in flour, or at the office sitting at your desk working."

"When you're with the kids, either drawing with them, playing with them, goofing around making them laugh, reading them a story, or just helping them with their homework, you're extremely hot. It's the same thing when you're with the grandkids. Seeing you happy and smiling is a huge turn on." He smiled warmly at her. She smiled back and nodded. "Yeah that smile right there is a turn on."

"Your smile does the same to me." She smiled back at him and they just sat there smiling at each other without saying anything for a while.

Hours went by where they were left to themselves. They talked about the same kind of things that they'd talked about the previous day. Not having been fed they were pretty hungry and thirsty, but tried to keep their minds on other things. Food and water were the last things on their minds.

A while later the door was opened again. They looked at each other fearing a little what was about to happen. They then looked at each other confused when the guards rolled a TV and DVD-player into the room. They watch the guards getting the equipment ready, and hooking it up to an extension cord.

Seconds later Cuvee and Sloane walked into the room. Cuvee was carrying a few DVD cassettes. One of the guards looked at him.

"The TV and DVD-player are ready, sir."

"Good. You can all leave."

"Yes sir." The guards left and closed the door behind them. Cuvee smirked at Jack and Irina.

"I said I would be back to show you both what a whore you are, Irina." They stared at him coldly. "Well, I assume you wonder what the equipment is for. Let me get rid of your curiosity." He walked over to Irina and squatted down in front of her. "I would imagine that you remember all the pleasurable moments we spent together in my office when you were in prison here. So I would imagine that you also remember that I taped many of those moments." She gasped a little and Jack stared wide eyed. Cuvee laughed as he saw that she remembered. "Yes, I thought you'd remember." He got up. "Well, in these modern times it's all about DVDs. So I had the old tapes converted to DVDs. That way they also last longer. And it was a good thing I had them converted, because I was close to wearing them out." He walked over to Jack. "You see, Jack, I watch the videos all the time. I get off by watching them. And now that we're all here, we're going to watch them together." Jack stared Cuvee down coldly.

"I won't watch them. You can't make me, you sick perverted bastard." Cuvee laughed.

"Actually, I can." He walked back to Irina. "Because, if you don't watch them…." He pulled out his gun, took off the safety, and put it to Irina's temple. "I'm just going to kill her right here, right now." Jack had to swallow. The thought of Cuvee killing Irina scared the hell out of him. He was also a little worried about seeing the video footage, and especially after seeing the expression on Irina's face. He could tell that she was horrified about him seeing them. Cuvee laughed again. "So what's it going to be, Jack? Will you watch the DVDs or do I have to kill Irina?" Jack gritted his teeth.

"Play the DVDs." Cuvee kept the gun on Irina's temple for a little while longer before removing it. He smirked at Jack.

"Smart move. There are plenty of DVDs to watch, so I suggest we get started. There are more than we can watch today, so you can be sure that we'll be watching more DVDs the next few days." He laughed and walked over to put the first DVD on.

The video started and Jack silently drew in a deep breath as he watched Irina completely naked, tied to a desk. She was standing with her ankles tied to the table legs. Her hands were resting at the top of the table, likewise tied to the same table legs. The camera man was moving the camera up and down, getting shots of her entire body very closely. Jack swallowed when he saw the bump on Irina's stomach. This was obviously before Nadia was born. The camera was put down and a naked Cuvee stepped into view, getting behind Irina.

"_I think I've filmed you long enough. It's time to do a little re-education__, my whore." He grabbed her by the thighs, drawing her closer, and plunged into her. She stiffened a scream and continued to do that as Cuvee roughly plunged in and out of her. He moved one hand up to her hair and yanked her head back. His voice was hoarse. "Do you like that? Do you like being with a real man again?" He laughed. "You feel so good. So good."_

Jack wanted to look away. It made him sick to see what Cuvee had done to Irina. But he also knew that he couldn't look away. From the corner of his eyes, he could see that Irina was as white as a ghost. He was worried sick about her, knowing that she must be going through hell at the moment.

The rest of the afternoon went by like this, watching one DVD after another. Jack continued to watch Irina getting raped on screen, and he watch with horror and concern from the corner of his eyes of how empty the look in her eyes was as she sat there having to see herself on screen.

At dinner time there was a knock on the door. Cuvee stopped the video and went over and opened the door to find one of the guards.

"Yes, what is it?"

"Dinner is ready, sir." He nodded and looked back at Sloane.

"Arvin, what do you say to having dinner in here tonight? That way we can continue to watch more videos." Sloane nodded.

"I think that's an excellent idea." Cuvee turned back to the guard.

"Bring dinner down here, and a table and two chairs." The guard nodded.

"Right away, sir." He left and Cuvee closed the door. He smirked at Jack.

"I actually think we can just finish watching the rest of this video before dinner gets here." Jack looked at him with murder in his eyes, but Cuvee merely laughed at him.

Dinner arrived just as they finished watching another video. When the guards had set the table and left, Cuvee and Sloane sat down to dinner, and put on another DVD. They took great pleasure in watching the videos all throughout dinner, and watching what it was doing to Jack and Irina watching Irina on the DVDs.

A while later the guards came back and removed the table. They let the chairs be and brought another bottle of wine. Sloane poured himself another glass and sat back down as Cuvee put another DVD on. He took a sip of his wine and smirked.

"There's nothing like dinner and a show." Cuvee nodded as he pressed play.

"You're quite right. But dessert is nice too."

He walked over to Irina. She got a little scared as he got behind her. Although there wasn't much room there, he was able to place himself behind her up against the wall with his legs spread. Jack stared at him coldly. Cuvee just smirked at him as he grabbed Irina's head and rubbed the back of it against him. She tried to fight it, but couldn't. Sloane laughed while Jack screamed from the top of his lungs.

"GET AWAY FROM HER. GET AWAY FROM HER RIGHT NOW." Cuvee drew his gun, took the safety off, and put it to Irina's temple again.

"Shut up, Jack, or I'll kill her right now. You just concentrate on watching the video, and I'll concentrate on Irina." Jack continued to look at Cuvee and Irina, and Cuvee placed the gun at Irina's throat. "I'm not kidding, Jack. Eyes back on the screen, right now." Jack reluctantly took his eyes off of Irina, but continued to look at her from the corner of his eyes. Sloane laughed.

"You really should watch the videos. They're so good." Jack wanted to give Sloane his death glare, but didn't want Irina to get hurt even more. From the corner of his eyes, he watched Cuvee put the gun to Irina's mouth.

"Open wide, Irina." She kept her mouth closed. He got frustrated and pressed the gun hard against her cheek. "I said open wide." When she still refused, he removed the gun from her face and pointed it at Jack. "If I told you that I'll kill Jack, if you don't do as I say, will that make you open your mouth?" She opened her mouth and he laughed. "That's good, my little whore." He placed the gun in her mouth. "Now suck on it." Jack swallowed as he watched from the corner of his eyes Irina do as she was told. He watched as Cuvee moved the gun in her mouth, while he continued to rub himself against the back of her head. He continued and his breathing increased. After a while he found his release. He let go of Irina's head and took the gun out of her mouth before leaning back against the wall catching his breath. Another DVD ended and Cuvee looked at his watch. "Well, I think we should let that be the last DVD for tonight. But don't worry. There are plenty DVDs to watch tomorrow." He laughed and so did Sloane.

"I think that's a good idea." Sloane walked over to the door and told the guards to remove the TV, DVD-player, and the chairs. When they'd done that he looked back at Jack and Irina. "Goodnight. I look forward to us spending more time together tomorrow." He laughed as he walked out the door.

Cuvee walked over to Jack and squatted down in front of him. He put the gun to Jack's mouth and smirked.

"I'm sure you miss kissing Irina. Here, I'll let you have a taste of her. Open wide, Jack." Jack refused and glared at Cuvee. "Jack, we already went over this. If you don't do as I say, I kill Irina. Now open wide." Jack did as he was told, and Cuvee put the gun in his mouth. "Now, suck on it like Irina did and taste her." Jack didn't do much at first, so Cuvee moved the gun in Jack's mouth. "Mmmm, she tastes good, right?" He laughed, removed the gun and got up. He looked back at both of them as he stood by the door. "Pleasant dreams." Then he turned off the lights and left.

Once he'd left, Irina broke down sobbing. Tears felt silently from Jack's eyes from seeing what she went through all those years ago, and knowing, what seeing herself like that, was doing to her now. All he wanted to do was take her in his arms and hold her close. He got his emotions in check the best he could.

"Sweetheart. Sweetheart." All he could hear was her sobs. "Irina, talk to me. I know it's probably hard, but please talk to me." He could hear her struggling to get the words out through her sobs.

"Jack, I….I….I ca…" She started sobbing harder. Jack felt helpless, but thought there was maybe one way to calm her down a bit.

"You're once, twice, three times a lady,

and I love you.

Yes, you're once, twice, three times a lady,

and I love you, I love you.

When we are together

the moments I cherish

with every beat of my heart.

To touch you, to hold you

to feel you, to need you.

There's nothing to keep us apart

You're once, twice, three times a lady

I love you

I love you."

She continued sobbing and even harder it seemed. Jack leaned back against the wall waiting for her to be ready to say anything. The tears fell from his eyes again, and he couldn't get the image of seeing her getting raped like that out of his mind. He tried to think of happier times, but it was hard.

After a long time Irina broke the silence shortly.

"I love you." He smiled in the darkness through his tears.

"I love you too." He waited for a while to see if she would say anything else. When she hadn't said anything for a while, and he could only hear her crying, he knew she was still too upset to talk. "I see us getting into our car and driving off. We're heading to our cave at the beach. Once we get there, we take everything out of the trunk. Bathing suits, blankets, sleeping bags, pillows, food, wine. When we get to the cave, we get settled in and then go for a swim in the ocean. Then when we get back up again, we have dinner. We go for another swim before having the chocolate cake for dessert. Later in the evening we built a fire and we dance to the sound of the waves. We're holding each other close, and continue to hold each other close all night long." He closed his eyes picturing it and smiled.

"I see us doing that too." He smiled broader. He knew she was still not up for talking, but hearing her say that was enough for now.

**TBC**


	20. Chapter 20

**Rishka Derevko:** Yes, Cuvee certainly is that. Maybe they will and maybe they won't. *devil* I'm thrilled you love the story. I'm sorry I made you cry *blush* but I can't help but feel honored too that my story has that effect on you. Thank you for reading and commenting.

**SofiaBlackBristow:** I'm glad you think so. Well, the the next chapter is not that exciting, but I hope you still like it. Kiss to you too. Thank you for reading and commenting.

* * *

**Chapter 20**

While Jack and Irina tried to calm down and sleep after seeing the videos, everyone at APO was trying to find them. They had looked over the video of Sloane, Cuvee, and Sark and the surveillance pictures of Jack and Irina being followed, but they still didn't have a single clue as to where Jack, Irina, and the triplets could be.

They had been in contact with various foreign intelligence agencies, but none of them had any clue or any leads as to where they could be. They hadn't spotted Sloane, Cuvee, or Sark anywhere either. Like at APO, the foreign intelligence agencies had analyzed the video and surveillance pictures, but they had ended up just as clueless.

The ones of them, who had contacts, had gotten in touch with them, but that hadn't given any results either. They'd also been in contact with the police, but they were just as clueless as they were.

Everyone was tired, exhausted, and frustrated from not getting any closer to finding Jack, Irina, and the triplets. They also feared what was happening to them, and what kind of torture they were being put through. They already knew that Sloane and Cuvee planned to brainwash the triplets into believing that Sloane was their father, and they feared that he'd already started the treatment.

While it was hard to cope with not knowing anything about their whereabouts, it was also hard to cope with Isabelle's, Sarah's, and Becky's constant questions of where their grandparents and the triplets were. Sydney, Nadia, Vaughn, and Eric had told them that some bad men had taken them, and that they didn't know where they were. The children were confused, and with good reason didn't understand why anyone would want to kidnap their family. They were also scared that their own parents would get kidnapped, so Sydney, Nadia, Vaughn, and Eric called them several times a day to reassure their children that they were still alright.

At APO they still had the agreement that two people would stay at night in case any leads or clues came in during the night. But because of their children's fear, Sydney, Nadia, Vaughn, and Nadia didn't spend many nights at APO. Katya, Kendall, Dixon, Marshall, and Carrie took on more shifts, though it was mostly Katya, Kendall, Dixon, and Marshall who took turns staying at APO at night. Mitchell and Matthew had been told the same as Isabelle, Sarah, and Becky and were equally scared for their parents, so Carrie mostly stayed home at night with the children. Though, if she needed to take a shift, Marshall would be home with them.

Isabelle, Sarah, Nicholas, Becky, David, Mitchell, Matthew, Chloe, Gracie, Robin, and Stephen were still at a safe location during the day with a bunch of agents looking out for them, and Sergei was there with them too. In the evening they all went home, but as a precaution agents were stationed to stand guard around everyone's homes. Whenever Katya wasn't staying at APO during the night, she stayed with Nadia and Eric, and Sergei stayed with Sydney and Vaughn. Neither Katya nor Sergei felt like staying at Jack and Irina's house when they weren't there, but agents still held a lookout for anything suspicious at the house.

Just like their children were scared about them, Sydney and Nadia were equally scared that they'd never see their parents and siblings again. They often cried at APO and at night after they tucked their children in. Vaughn and Eric were scared too that they'd never see them again, and they had a hard time comforting their wives. They tried their best, but at times they just didn't know what to say to them. Everyone else tried to comfort them too, but had hardly any words left to say. Katya was the only one, who always tried to stay positive and tell them that everything would be alright and that Jack, Irina, and the triplets would be found soon, and would return safely and unharmed.

Nadia, Eric, Katya, and Kendall were sitting in the meeting room going over the surveillance pictures for the millionth time. Nadia shook her head frustrated and angrily.

"It's no use. We can watch the video and surveillance pictures a billion times and we still won't get any closer to finding them." She slammed her hand on the table. "Damn it." Then she put her head in her hands. Katya walked over to her and ran her hand up and down Nadia's back and spoke to her calmly.

"Breathe. Just breathe." Nadia's breathing slowed down a little from being so worked up. "It's only been two days since Jack and Irina were kidnapped. We'll hear something soon." Nadia pushed her chair back, walked around a bit in the room before turning around to Katya. She got angry again.

"Only two days? Only? That's still two days too many. And the triplets have been gone for eighteen days. That's nearly three weeks. So don't tell me that it's only been two days since my parents were kidnapped or that we'll hear something soon. It took a week before we learned that Cuvee had the triplets, and another four days before we received the video, and since then we haven't heard anything from them. So excuse me if I don't believe that we'll hear something soon." Katya walked closer to Nadia and spoke softly.

"You have to believe that we'll hear something soon. You have to stay positive." Nadia started to yell.

"My family is missing and being put through god knows what, by two very sick bastards. I'm having a hell of a time staying positive."

"I know. But you have to try and stay positive."

"No, I don't have to try to do that. What I should try to do, is I should try and find them. We should be out there trying to find them."

"We are trying to find them."

"No we're not. We going over the same video and surveillance pictures that we've looked over a million times already, and they're leading us nowhere. We should not try to find them by sitting here. We should be out searching for them."

"We have nothing to go on. We don't know where to look, so it's best we stay here and wait for new developments. Every intelligence agency in the world is on the lookout for Sloane and Cuvee. Either someone will spot them, or Sloane and Cuvee will get in touch with us again."

"I don't want to wait for Sloane and Cuvee to get in touch with us again. I want to find them now, and I want my family home." She broke down sobbing. "I just want my family home." Katya took her in her arms and hugged her tightly.

"I know. We all want them home. And we will. You have to believe that we'll get them home again."

Eric looked at Nadia. It broke his heart to see her so heartbroken, and he got a little teary eyed. He sighed and shook his head feeling helpless. He looked up at Kendall when he squeezed his shoulder. He gave Eric a nod and pointed his head towards the door, indicating that he should take Nadia outside the room to breathe. Eric nodded back, got up and walked over to Nadia and Katya. He caressed Nadia's back.

"Come on, honey. Let's get you something to drink." She nodded and he kissed her head. He put his arm around her, and looked over his shoulder to give Katya a little smile as a thank you. She gave him a little smile in return and nodded.

When they left, Katya sat back down and went back to looking at the surveillance pictures. Kendall eyed her. He didn't like that Katya was the only one, who didn't seem to be falling apart over not knowing where Jack, Irina, and the triplets were. She was staying too positive for his liking. He didn't think that was healthy. She looked at him when she felt him looking at her. She spoke calmly.

"Aren't you going to get back to work?" He nodded.

"Sure." He sat back down, and started looking over the surveillance pictures that he'd already looked over a million times before.

* * *

A few hours later they all met up in the meeting room. They exchanged notes, but there were no real notes to exchange, since they still hadn't found anything in the video or surveillance pictures. They ate lunch together in the meeting room. No one really knew what to say to each other, so they ate in silence. When they were done eating they stayed seated in silence. After a while Vaughn looked around at everyone.

"We should get back to work." Dixon got up from his seat.

"We've gotten nowhere so far, and I doubt we'll get anywhere if we go back to looking at the video and surveillance pictures right away. I think it's best if we take a break for an hour or so. I know it's hard, but I think we could all need to get our mind on something else for a little while." Kendall got up from his seat too.

"Yeah, I agree." Dixon nodded.

"Get out of the office for a while, look up stuff on the internet, read the paper, go to the gym. Do anything you'd like for a little while to get a break from this and then come back."

Sydney and Nadia looked at each other not really liking the idea. Kendall walked over to them, stood behind them and put a hand on each of their shoulders.

"I know you don't like the idea, but we're getting nowhere. Looking at the video and surveillance pictures all day, are driving us crazy. We need a break now and then." They looked at each other again and nodded reluctantly.

"Yeah, you're both right."

"We'll take a break."

"Good." Kendall looked around at everyone. "Take the time you need. You don't have to stay away only an hour. If you need to stay away for two hours then do it. We'll call you if anything happens."

Everyone nodded and got up from their seats. Vaughn put his arm around Sydney and Eric did the same with Nadia and they left the meeting room. Marshall and Carrie left too, and before Dixon left, he looked at Kendall.

"I'll be staying at APO in case anything happens." Kendall nodded.

"I will be too."

"Okay. Talk to you later."

"Yeah." Dixon nodded and left. Katya walked over and turned the surveillance pictures back on the screen. Kendall looked at her. "Katya, what are you doing?"

"I'm working."

"You're not supposed to do that. You're supposed to take a break."

"I don't need a break."

"We all need a break." She shook her head.

"Not me."

"Look, we've looked at those pictures a million times, and we keep finding nothing. We'll be looking at them again, but not until we've had a break. Just take some time off from looking at the pictures. It'll be good for you."

"I'm perfectly fine, so I really don't need a break."

"All of us are taking a break, and you should too."

"You're all taking a break because you need it, and that's perfectly understandable. But I don't need a break, so I'm going to keep looking at the surveillance pictures." He sighed. He knew there was nothing he could do to make her take a break.

"Well, I'm not going to order you to take a break, even though I really do think you should take one. If you want to look at the surveillance pictures again, then do that." He walked towards the door and turned around before walking out. "I'll be in my office if you need anything." She nodded but kept her eyes on the screen.

"Okay." He shook his head a little and took another look at her before leaving.

* * *

Sydney and Vaughn had gone for a drive, parked the car and then went for a walk. They went to the park and stood by the carrousel that Sydney went to with her parents when she was little. They stood looking at it in silence for a while before Sydney sighed and shook her head. A few tears escaped her eyes.

"Mom and dad have brought Isabelle and Sarah here. They promised Nicholas that they'd bring him here too, when he got older. What if they never will? What if they don't get back? What if Sloane and Cuvee kill them and brainwash the triplets?" Vaughn put an arm around her and pulled her to him, kissing her head.

"We'll get them back, and they'll be able to bring the kids here. Nicholas will have the same experiences with his grandparents that Isabelle and Sarah have had so far. And we'll get the triplets back too. We'll get them all back unharmed."

"If that was the case, shouldn't we have them back by now?" He hugged her a little tighter.

"I know the triplets have been gone for a long time and that something more horrible than being kidnapped could've happened to all five of them. But Syd, we have to believe that we'll get them back unharmed. All we can do at the moment is hope for the best. I know it's hard, but we have to do that." She nodded slightly.

"I know. I know."

"You just have to keep picturing your parents taking the kids here. Just keep picturing the kids laughing and having a great time here with their grandparents and the triplets. Then picture all of them coming to the house for dinner and the kids telling us what a great day they've had. Picture your mom showing us all the pictures they took during the day, and your dad reading them a story in the living room before it's their bedtime. And as we tuck them in, picture the smile on their faces. It's there, because they spent the day with their grandparents and the triplets." Sydney smiled a little, and Vaughn kissed her head again. "It'll happen, Syd. It'll happen." They stood holding each other looking at the carrousel for a little while longer before heading back to APO.

* * *

When they got back to APO, Sydney went to Dixon's office to tell him that they were back. Then she and Vaughn called their children to tell them that they were alright. After that Sydney went to Marshall's office but found only Carrie.

"Hi Carrie." Carrie looked at her and smiled a little.

"Hi Syd. How was the break?" Sydney shrugged.

"It was okay. We went to the carrousel at the park and pictured mom, dad, and the triplets taking our kids there in the future."

"That's nice. It's best to try and stay positive."

"Yeah. Did you have a nice break?" Carrie nodded.

"Yes, we did. We called the kids and only just got off the phone with them a little while ago. They asked about your parents and the triplets, and were sad that we didn't have any news to tell."

"It was the same with our kids."

"It's that with all of us." Sydney nodded.

"Have you seen Marshall?"

"He went down to the shooting range." She looked at Carrie surprised.

"He did what?" Carrie shrugged.

"He said he wanted to practice for a little while."

"Okay. Thanks."

* * *

Sydney left Marshall's office and went down to the shooting range. She put on a pair of ear protectors before stepping into the area. From a distance she saw Marshall shooting off a round. He shot off one bullet at a time, aiming with precision. When he was done with the clip, he put another one in. Once that was in he was quick on the draw and fired all the bullets as fast as he could. When he was done he put the gun down and just stood there. Sydney walked up to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. He jumped at her touch, and Sydney was startled too. He looked at her and sighed.

"Geez Syd, you scared me." He took off his ear protectors and glasses and she took her ear protectors off too. She smiled apologetically.

"Sorry Marshall. I didn't mean to scare you."

"That's okay. I was wearing these." He held up the ear protectors. "And they're supposed to keep the noise out. So now we know they work. Well, we already knew that, because I was wearing them as I was shooting and that really kept the noise out. I mean, I heard the bullets going off. It's not like you're completely deaf when you're wearing them. But you don't make as much noise as a bullet, so it makes sense that I didn't hear you." Now it was his turn to smile apologetically. "Sorry, I didn't mean to go on like that." She shook her head and smiled a little.

"No need to apologize." He nodded and smiled back. Then he looked at her curiously.

"What are you doing here? Are there any new leads?" She shook her head again.

"No. I just wanted to hear if there was anything new from Washington. You said, you would get in touch with them after lunch to see if they had found out anything new during their analysis of the video."

"Yeah, I got in touch with them, but unfortunately they didn't find anything."

"Well, I didn't really expect them to find anything. Thanks Marshall."

"Of course."

"So, what are you doing down here?"

"Practicing for when we're going to bring your parents and siblings back." She looked at him puzzled. "I know that we're going to find them and bring them home. I don't know how we're going to do that yet, but I just know that we will. I also know that I should probably stay behind to watch the monitors, but…" He had to take a breath to get his emotions in control. "But if I was missing, or Carrie or our children, your parents wouldn't hesitate to come to the rescue. They would give up their life without blinking, trying to save our lives." He shook his head. "I'm not trying to be a hero or getting myself killed, but I need to be part of the team that rescues them. I need to do for them what they would do for me and my family." She smiled at him and he smiled back. "We'll get them back, Syd. I just know it." A few tears escaped her eyes.

"Thank you, Marshall."

"Don't mention it." They hugged and stayed at the shooting range for a little while longer before they went back to work.

* * *

Everyone at APO looked over the video and surveillance pictures again and again, and got in touch with Washington and the foreign intelligent agencies to get updates. But the result was the same as it'd been every day. There was nothing new.

In the late afternoon Sydney, Nadia, Vaughn, Eric, and Carrie went home to their children. Marshall left a little later, and a couple of hours later Dixon left too.

Kendall and Katya were the ones that would be spending the night at APO. They had dinner while going over the video and surveillance pictures again and again, and seeing if they would get any new leads from anywhere. They exchanged notes from time to time, but worked mostly in silence, concentrating each on their own area. Late in the evening Kendall looked at his watch and sighed.

"We might as well get some sleep. We're getting nowhere, and in case there's any new information coming in during the night, someone is on duty and will wake us." She nodded.

"Yes that's probably a good idea. We also need to be rested for work tomorrow." He nodded back.

They cleaned up putting the notes in order and taking the coffee mugs to the kitchen area. Kendall then told the people on duty that they were turning in, while Katya got ready for bed. They slept in a room close to the bathroom and a bit away from the agents on duty. Two beds had been put up in this room. Kendall got ready for bed after he talked to the agents. When he sat down on his bed, he looked over at Katya, who had just gotten under the covers.

"How can you stay so calm?" She looked at him puzzled.

"What do you mean?"

"The rest of us are falling apart from not knowing where Jack, Irina, and the triplets are, and knowing that Sloane and Cuvee have them, and are probably putting them through hell. But you? You stay calm. You've been calm from the start, telling all of us to stay positive. Why is it that you're not falling apart like the rest of us? Why is it that you can stay so calm?" She spoke calmly.

"Because, we need to stay positive. Falling apart is not helping anyone. We need to stay focused and put our energy into finding them. If we fall apart, we'll drain ourselves of energy, and it'll only be that much harder to concentrate on finding them."

"Your family is missing. You're allowed to fall apart."

"Well, I'm not." He shook his head in disbelief.

"You can't possibly stay that calm. You can't keep suppressing your feelings the way you do. You need to let go and cry or yell or something."

"I don't need to do anything other than stay calm and positive."

"You're bottling up your feelings inside. It's not good for you. You will feel better if you just let your frustrations out." She shot him an annoyed look.

"Do not for one minute think, you know me." With that she got under the covers and turned her back to him. He shook his head and let out a frustrated grunt.

"Fine." He got up and turned off the lights, and then went to bed. Once under the covers he looked over at her. "Goodnight Katya." He waited a few seconds for her to respond, but shook his head when she didn't. He then turned to his side with his back to hers.

After a little while she responded.

"Goodnight."

He waited a little to see if she'd say anything else, but when she didn't he closed his eyes, and after a little while he was asleep.

**TBC**


	21. Chapter 21

**Rishka Derevko:** I'm glad you think it was good. So where do you think I'm going with Katya and Kendall? :-D I'm still thrilled to hear you love the story. :-) Thank you for reading and commenting. :-) Kiss to you too. :-)

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**Chapter 21**

Jack sat in the darkness with his head leaning against the wall. He hadn't slept much. The images of Irina being raped had haunted him all night, and he could tell that they'd been haunting her too. He had heard her crying for most of the night. Some times she cried more than others. They hadn't talked much as she hadn't been up for it. He didn't want to pressure her into talking, so he'd stayed silent letting her have her space.

Irina hadn't been able to sleep. She'd been sick to her stomach after seeing the videos of the nightmare she so vividly remembered from that many years ago. Since it happened she'd tried to block it out the best she could, and after getting back together with Jack, it had been less and less on her mind. But seeing it again, made her relive it, and the nightmares came crashing down on her.

What was worse was that Jack had seen it. It had been hard enough for her to tell him that she'd been raped like that, but for him to see it, was much worse. She had only needed to tell him back then that she'd been raped multiple times, but seeing just how she was raped and how roughly it had been, was something that she'd never had to tell him. She never had to go into specific details.

She hadn't been able to talk much to him all night. First of all, she was too broken by seeing herself like that. Second of all she felt ashamed. She knew that had she only told Jack the truth about her during the first years of their marriage, this would never have happened. When they'd been able to get back together after so many years and after all the hurt she'd caused him, she knew that he would've been able to forgive her if she'd told him the truth back then. She also knew that they would've been able to run away from everything and would've stayed perfectly safe.

Five years ago in Russia when she told him she'd been raped in Kashmir, she'd thought that he felt repulsed by her and wanted nothing to do with her. She knew that actually seeing her getting raped wouldn't change his feelings for her. He'd said so last night with his song, saying that he loved her, and imagining being at the cave holding each other close all night long. She knew that he'd never seen her as a whore. But still she knew that she would have a hard time looking him in the eyes when the lights were turned on. She knew she'd see nothing but love and concern for her in his eyes, but she knew that years ago she could've stopped this from ever happening. If she'd only told him the truth years ago the videos would've never happened and they wouldn't be in the hell they were in right now.

She rested her head on her knees and took a couple of deep breaths. She wanted to be calm before Sloane and Cuvee came back, but she also knew she'd probably have puffy eyes and there was no hiding that. She dried her eyes on her knees and then leaned against the wall, hoping it would be a while before they came, but unfortunately that wasn't the case.

A few minutes later the door was opened and two guards walked in turning on the lights. Jack immediately looked over at Irina and tried to adjust to the lights quickly. Irina blinked a few times and then looked straight down at her knees. When Jack saw her doing that he wanted to call out to her but Sloane and Cuvee walked in before he could say anything.

They looked at Jack and Irina and laughed just liked they'd done the day before. Jack gave them his death glare, but Cuvee didn't bother with him and walked over to Irina instead. He stood right in front of her, but she didn't look up at him.

"Good morning, Irina. Did you sleep well?" When she didn't respond he grabbed her hair and yanked her head back. He laughed again when he saw her puffy eyes. She glared at him. "My, my, Irina. Have you been crying? Was it so good to see yourself that it made you cry happy tears? Or have you finally come to realize just how much of a whore you are?" He laughed even more. Sloane stepped closer to Irina too and laughed.

"If she doesn't know by now how much of a whore she is, I'm sure she'll come to realize more and more, since we'll spend all day watching DVDs."

Irina stiffened at the thought of watching more DVDs and her face turned pale. Jack swallowed by the look on her face and the thought of having to watch more DVDs of Irina getting raped. Cuvee had said that they'd be watching more and more DVDs over the next couple of days, but even though he knew that was coming, he was still dreading watching more.

Cuvee laughed again and nodded letting go of Irina's hair.

"Yes, I believe you're right, Arvin." He walked over to Jack and looked at him with a smirk on his face. "So, Jack. How does it feel to have a whore for a wife?" Jack glared at him and spoke in a low threatening voice.

"She's not a whore. Never was and never will be." Cuvee laughed.

"Jack, I believe you watched the DVDs yesterday. I must admit I didn't pay much attention to you, because I was busy paying attention to Irina. But since I told you I'd kill Irina if you didn't watch the DVDs, I'm pretty sure that you did watch them. So you saw as well as I did that she's a whore." Jack looked at Cuvee with even more murderous eyes.

"If you didn't hear me clearly the first time then let me tell you again. Irina is not a whore, she never was, and she never will be. She is my beautiful, loving, and caring wife. She's a wonderful and loving mother to our five children, and an equally wonderful and loving grandmother to our five grandchildren." Cuvee merely laughed and shook his head at Jack.

"You keep telling yourself that, Jack, but the DVDs speak for themselves. And if you're not convinced yet, then there's plenty of time for you to be convinced since we'll be watching DVDs all day of me having fun with Irina."

"A whore is someone who willingly sleeps with men and gets paid for it. That is not the case here. You had her tied down, and you forced yourself on her."

"Don't forget that she was sent to America to seduce you. She was paid to sleep with you, which makes her a whore. It's as simple as that."

"Don't you forget what she told you yesterday. We'd been together for months before she knew I was her mark, and during that time she was falling in love with me. She never slept with me because she had to. She slept with me because she wanted to." Cuvee continued to laugh.

"Regardless of the two of you being a couple months before she knew you were her mark, she still would've ended up sleeping with you and marrying you. She was getting paid to marry you and to sleep with you. So fact is, she's a whore."

"That may be your opinion, but it's not mine. I'll never think of her like that."

"Like I just said, we'll be watching DVDs all day, so there's plenty of time for you to be convinced that Irina is a whore. But if you're still not convinced after watching the DVDs, then the live show might be able to convince you." Jack swallowed and could from the corner of his eyes see that Irina turned even paler. Cuvee smirked at Jack. "You didn't actually think that I'd just keep it to watching old tapings of me having fun with Irina, did you? It's been too long since I've had that kind of fun with Irina, so you can be sure that I'm going to have that kind of fun again. And you will have a front row seat to the entertainment."

"No matter what happens, I will never think of Irina as a whore. Never." Cuvee shrugged.

"Okay, I'll accept that you might never see her as one, but at least you will see me treat her as one. And you will see me enjoying it. First you'll see my enjoying her on screen, and soon you will see me enjoying her live." He laughed. "Let's get started on today's DVDs, shall we?" He looked over at Sloane nodding and Sloane nodded back in return before turning his attention to the guards.

"Get the TV and DVD-player ready, and get the DVDs from the office." One of the guards nodded.

"Right away, sir."

One of the guards walked out of the room and walked back in a few minutes later. He was accompanied by two other guards and together they got the equipment ready. After that two of the guards walked out and came back with a table and two chairs. A fourth guard turned up a few seconds later carrying a bunch of DVDs. He walked over to Cuvee and handed them to him. Cuvee nodded and when everyone had gotten the equipment ready he looked around at all of them.

"Leave." They all nodded and were about to leave when Sloane stopped them.

"Wait." They turned around and looked at him. Cuvee looked at Sloane curiously and a little annoyed.

"What?" He looked at Cuvee.

"I just thought it would be nice to have some coffee." Cuvee shook his head a little frustrated.

"Fine." He turned to the guards. "Bring us some coffee and make it quick." They guards nodded.

"Right away, sir."

The guards left and Sloane walked over to sit on one of the chairs. He winced a little when he sat down. He rubbed his knee and pulled the other chair closer to him, so that he could rest his leg on it. He then looked at Cuvee, who'd gone over to the DVD-player to put on one of the DVDs.

"I'm going to have one of the guards bring in another chair. My knee is acting up today, so I've just taken your chair to rest my leg on." Cuvee didn't look back at Sloane.

"Fine."

Cuvee got one of the DVDs ready and then stood with arms crossed waiting impatiently for the guards to return with the coffee. When the coffee finally arrived he gave the guard bringing it a stern look. He looked at Cuvee apologetically before placing the coffee on the table. When the guard had put the coffee down, Sloane looked at him.

"We need an extra chair." The guard nodded.

"Yes, sir." He came back with a chair a few minutes later and looked over at Cuvee. "Will there be anything else, sir?" Cuvee looked over at Sloane annoyed.

"Is there anything else that you need, Arvin? Would you like a pillow for your back, or perhaps cookies for your coffee?" Sloane glared at Cuvee.

"No. I needed a chair for my bad knee, and there's nothing wrong with having a little coffee to go with the entertainment. You can go ahead and play the DVD now." Cuvee glared back at Sloane for a few seconds before looking at the guard.

"Leave." The guard nodded.

"Yes, sir." The guard left and Cuvee walked over to Jack again. "Remember what I told you yesterday, Jack. If you don't watch the DVDs, I'll kill Irina. Understood?" Jack glared at him.

"Yes." Cuvee smirked at him.

"Good boy." Then he walked over to Irina. "And you, my little whore. You're going to watch the DVDs too if you don't want to see me kill Jack." She glared at him the best she could, but he merely laughed. "Just think of the DVDs as a warm up of what's to come." He grabbed her hair and yanked her head back. "Soon we'll have that much fun again. Soon, very soon." He groped her breasts with his free while she moved her body from side to side trying to avoid his touch without success. He let go of her and laughed. "Soon." Then he sat down on the chair and pressed play.

Jack watch with horror Irina getting raped time and time again on screen. Sometimes she was standing tied to the desk. Other times she was on her back on top of the desk tied down to it. Like yesterday, he wanted nothing more than to look away, but Sloane and Cuvee looked over at him from time to time to see if he was still watching, so he knew he couldn't. Instead he tried to focus on Irina's stomach. It was growing more and more with each DVD, and he took a slight comfort in being able to see his child grow. But he also couldn't help but look at Irina on screen. Her expression in her eyes grew more and more empty, and he couldn't believe how she could've endured that pain for so long.

From the corner of his eyes he looked over at Irina. She was getting paler, and he could see a slight empty expression in her eyes and it scared him. He knew that they were in a hopeless situation and probably had very little chance of ever making it out of Kashmir alive. But if they lost hope completely, they might as well ask Cuvee and Sloane to kill them. He wanted to talk to her and tell her anything that might calm her down. But he was pretty sure that if he spoke now, Sloane and Cuvee might take it out on Irina, and he wouldn't allow that.

Later in the day Sloane and Cuvee had lunch brought down, so that they could eat while watching the DVDs. In the afternoon they had more coffee brought down, and hours later the guards brought dinner down. When they were done eating Sloane looked over at Cuvee.

"Should we give them something to eat or drink? After all, we want them alive for a little while longer so perhaps we should feed them. It's been a while since they've eaten or had anything to drink." Cuvee looked back at Sloane and shrugged.

"I suppose we can give Irina some water. She's the one, who'll be of most use. Starving Jack is just part of the torture." Sloane nodded and Cuvee picked up his glass of water and walked over to Irina. He held it close to her mouth. "Here, Irina. Have some water." She turned her head away looking down in the ground. Cuvee got angry. "I'm offering you something to drink. It's unwise for you to turn me down." She looked back at him with murderous eyes.

"Go to hell." He slapped her hard across the face, and then grabbed her by her hair yanking her head back.

"You little bitch. Do I need to force it down your throat?"

"I will never accept anything from you voluntarily." He stared back at her coldly.

"Fine. I won't give you any water then. I'll just wait until you beg for it." He put his glass down on the ground and groped her breasts again. She tried to turn away, but there was no avoiding his hand. "Just like you'll be begging for other things. You might not like me touching you now, but soon you will." He let go of her and laughed. He kept laughing as he picked up his glass and looked over at Jack, who glared at him. Then he smirked. "Let's enjoy another DVD, shall we?" Sloane raised his glass of wine to that statement, and Cuvee put another DVD on.

Jack saw Irina getting raped a few more times while she was still pregnant, but then he saw her getting raped while she was not pregnant anymore. He could see that the expression in her eyes was even deader now and that there was a longing in her eyes. He felt a longing too from not being able to see his unborn child any longer. He felt that he was almost on the verge of tears, but refused to let them fall.

When Cuvee was done raping Irina, he picked up the camera again and filmed her entire body. Jack's breath got caught in his throat when Cuvee filmed Irina from behind, and it showed that she was bleeding. He then remembered five years ago in Russia when Irina told him about Kashmir and how they'd raped her after Nadia was born even though she wasn't ready. The camera zoomed in, and although Jack tried to fight it, he ended up throwing up.

Irina, Sloane, and Cuvee all looked at him. But while Sloane and Cuvee laughed at him, Irina turned her head away feeling ashamed that she was the one, who'd caused him to throw up. Sloane looked back at Cuvee and smirked.

"I guess now he's realized that she's a whore." Cuvee nodded.

"Yes, I think you're right." Jack threw up again, and then looked at Sloane and Cuvee shaking his head.

"No. Never." He threw up again and Sloane and Cuvee continued to laugh at him.

"And yet you throw up again." Jack glared at Cuvee.

"Because seeing what you did to my wife makes me sick."

"I do hope you enjoy the live show, then."

"You're one sick perverted bastard." Cuvee shrugged.

"Maybe Jack. But I'm still the one, who's going to have fun with Irina, and you're never going to have that kind of fun with her again. Keep that in mind and let's return to watching the DVD. I think we should just rewind a little bit, so that we can see the part we missed." He grabbed the remote and rewinded. They ended up seeing Cuvee finishing raping Irina, and then him picking up the camera. Jack kept his eyes trained on the top right corner of the TV, so he didn't have to watch it again, and he tried his best not to throw up again.

From the corner of his eyes, Jack could see that Irina looked back at the screen again. He had hoped she wouldn't, because although it made him sick to watch it, he could only imagine that it made her even sicker. But he also knew that she was looking at the screen, so that he wouldn't get hurt by Sloane and Cuvee. He just hoped that she was focused on one of the corners of the TV and not actually looking at herself.

Two hours later they finished watching another DVD. Cuvee turned off the DVD-player and the TV. He looked over at Sloane.

"I think that's enough DVDs for one day." Sloane nodded.

"Yeah, though it's been a pleasure to watch those DVDs all day long, I could actually use some sleep now." Cuvee got up and opened the door. He spotted some guards standing a bit away from the door and called out to them.

"We're done here. Remove the TV, DVD-player, table, and chairs."

Two of the guards got to the room quickly, while the third one got a hold of two other guards. In a few minutes the room was empty. Sloane walked over to Irina and smirked at her.

"Good night, Irina. I look forward to the two of us having as much fun as you and Cuvee are having on screen. I remember that night we had together and it was so great. Soon I'll have more moments like that to enjoy. Pleasant dreams." He walked over to Jack and laughed at him. "Yes, Jack. You can be sure that I'll have that kind of fun with Irina soon. Pleasant dreams to you too." Then he left. Cuvee walked to the door and looked back at them. He smirked.

"Pleasant dreams. I know what I'll be dreaming of." He laughed at them before turning off the lights and leaving the room.

Jack sat in the silence waiting to hear if Irina would cry or say anything. But she didn't. They sat in completely silence. After a few minutes Jack wondered if he should say anything. He wanted to say something, but also didn't really know what to say. He was still sick to his stomach from watching the DVDs and after seeing the empty expression in Irina's eyes, he wasn't sure that anything he said would bring her comfort. But after not talking for most of the night and all day, he needed her to hear his voice, even if she wasn't up for talking.

"Have I told you lately how happy you make me?" He waited for her to respond, but when she didn't he went on. "You put a smile on my face just by thinking about you. You make me look forward to getting out of the office, because I know I'll be going home to you and the kids. You've taught me how to relax." He let out a small laugh. "You've even made me enjoy watching TV and movies." He smiled and spoke softly. "You love me and that makes me happier than you could ever imagine." He waited for a long time for her to speak, but when she didn't he leaned helplessly against the wall and sighed. Much later she finally spoke.

"You're my light in the darkness. In any kind of darkness." He smiled. Her voice hadn't been strong, but at least she'd said something and he felt relieved.

"Don't give up sweetheart. As long as we're together we can do anything. Just promise me that you won't give up." After minutes of silence he thought she wasn't going to answer him, but she finally did.

"I promise." He felt another surge of relief and smiled again.

"Just try to relax and think of happier times. It's all we can do now."

"I'll try."

"I'm glad." He sat in the darkness thinking about the day they renewed their vows, and he only hoped that she was really thinking about happier times too.

* * *

The next morning Sloane and Cuvee were sitting in their office drinking coffee when there was a knock on the door. They both looked at the door but Cuvee was the one to answer.

"Come in." One of the guards walked in.

"Sir, I have Mr. Sark outside. He wishes to speak with both of you." Sloane looked at Cuvee.

"I wonder what he wants." Cuvee looked back at Sloane.

"Yes, I'm rather interested in that too." He then looked at the guard again. "Send him in." The guard nodded then left, and a few seconds later Sark walked into the office. He nodded at Sloane and Cuvee.

"Good morning." Cuvee gave him an annoyed look.

"What do you want?" Sark walked a little closer to them.

"I hear that the two of you are going to the city today." Sloane nodded.

"Yes that's right. But if you think that we're inviting you, you better think again." Sark gave him a half smile.

"No, I wouldn't expect you to take me with you."

"Then why exactly are you here?" Sark turned his attention to Cuvee.

"I think you'd agree that I've proven myself loyal. I've done everything you've asked of me, and I've never once complained about anything."

"You've done what we've asked of you, because we have something of value to you." Sark nodded.

"That is correct, and because of that I've shown nothing but good will towards you. So I was hoping that you would show me the same good will." Cuvee cocked an eyebrow at him.

"What are you getting at?"

"The final documents to help brainwash the triplets are to be picked up three days from now. I thought that I could get them and that I could leave today. That way I would get a couple of days off and relax before the next stage in your plans." Sloane and Cuvee laughed at him.

"You can't possibly be serious. Do you automatically think that we're just going to let you go like that?" Cuvee got up from his chair and walked over to Sark, so he was right in his face. He looked at him angrily. "Just how stupid do you think we are?" Sark shook his head slightly and looked at Cuvee with a serious expression.

"I don't think you're stupid at all. On the contrary, you're both highly intelligent. I would of course not expect to go alone. I thought that I could be accompanied by three guards. They would be around me at all times, and I wouldn't be let out of their sight. Not even to go to the bathroom." Cuvee shook his head.

"It's out of the question." He went back to his chair and sat down.

"In my time here, I've come to realize just how much I've missed out on in the past four years." Sark looked over at Sloane. "Mr. Sloane, Irina didn't just double cross you in Mongolia. She double crossed me too. We would all have benefited from Rambaldi if she, Jack, and everyone else hadn't ruined our dreams. It might have taken me some time to finally grasp just how much we missed out on, but now that I have I want nothing but revenge." Sloane and Cuvee looked at him skeptically. Sloane eyed him.

"You honestly expect us to believe that after spending a few months here, you've suddenly changed?"

"I know it might seem hard to believe, but it's really no different than with you and Rambaldi. You spent some time away from Rambaldi but could never really let it go. It's the same with me. I am who I am and nothing will ever change that. I was meant to cause havoc. I can taste the sweet taste of destruction and I like it." Sloane and Cuvee looked at each other, not really knowing whether to believe Sark or not. Sark shook his head. "Look, I don't expect you to treat me like an equal. I haven't earned that. But what I'd like for you to consider is giving me a few days off. I just need a few days to charge my batteries, so that I can be of a better help to you." Sloane and Cuvee still looked at each other and after a few seconds Sloane spoke.

"He's right, Gerard. He hasn't caused a single problem since he's been here, and since he knows what's good for him, he won't cause any problems in the future. If we take him under our wings properly and guide him, I'm sure he'll be a great asset to us in the future." Cuvee shook his hear slightly.

"I'm not sure, I like the idea."

"He said himself that he didn't expect to be let out on his own. He didn't just suggest one guard go with him. He suggested three. He also knows what will happen if he cause any problem, so I highly doubt that he will do anything stupid."

"Mr. Sloane is right, sir. I would never cause you any problems. I can understand why you don't trust me and my word might not mean anything to you, but I assure you I am a changed man. I will prove myself to you. All I ask is that you give me a few days off." Cuvee looked at Sloane again and then nodded. He walked over to Sark and gave him a stern look.

"Okay, Sark. I will grant you the days off and I'll let you be the one, who brings back the last documents. But be aware that if you cross me, heads will roll, and yours won't be the first one." Sark nodded.

"I'm well aware of that, which is why I won't disobey you." Cuvee gave him a single nod.

"Good." He looked back at Sloane. "I'll just inform the guards and then pick three to go with him." Sloane nodded and Cuvee left. When he had gone Sloane smiled at Sark.

"I'm glad you've decided to do things our way." Sark smiled back.

"Not half as glad as I am."

* * *

An hour later Sloane and Cuvee left. They hadn't told Jack and Irina they were going, but let it be a part of their torture to spend all day in darkness. Cuvee had given the guards clear instructions not to enter the room Jack and Irina were in, and not to touch them. He made it clear to them that they were his play toys and not theirs.

Sark was at the door seeing them off and was then escorted back to his room. Sloane and Cuvee had told him that he could decide when he wanted to leave, and he just needed to inform the guards. They had given him directions on where to pick up the documents and once he had them, he was to hand them over to one of the guards. Just before stepping into his room, Sark looked back at the guards.

"We leave in four hours. In the meantime, I don't wish to be disturbed. I will knock on the door, so that you'll know when I'm ready to leave. Is that understood?"

He tried to be authoritative. He knew that the guards were not under his command, but he also needed them to see that he meant business. If his plan was going to work, everything needed to be on his terms. One of the guards nodded.

"We'll leave you alone until you're ready to leave." Sark nodded.

"Thank you." They nodded in return and once he was in his room the door was locked behind him.

Once the door was locked Sark wasted no time in getting started on his plan. He set the alarm on his watch to count down to four hours from now. Then he walked over to his bed and rearranged his pillows and blankets. If anyone walked in it would seem like he was sleeping and he hoped that would be enough for the guards to stay away if he wasn't back in time.

When that was done he picked up his backpack, put it on, moved the small table that was in his room, and placed it under the vent. He then crawled on top of it, took off the vent cover, placed that on the table, crawled into the vent, and then reached down and picked up the vent cover and placed it over the vent again. He then proceeded to crawl through the vent, happy that he could move around without making a sound.

One of the few times he'd been in Sloane and Cuvee's office, he'd noticed that the vent cover was merely placed on the vent and could easily be removed. He'd noticed it was the same with the vent in his room, and so he'd started to crawl through the vents one night. He'd found out that he couldn't be heard moving around in the vents, and he'd found the way to their office. He hoped that one day Sloane and Cuvee would be gone and he could get into their office, hopefully find what he needed, plan his escape and get out of there.

He got to the vent that was in their office, and although he knew that no guards would be in the office, he still had a careful look around through the holes in the vent cover. None of the guards would ever dare go into their office. They all feared Sloane and Cuvee, but more Cuvee than Sloane. They knew they'd likely be killed if they were ever caught in there. And even if they could move around freely in there now when Sloane and Cuvee weren't there, they still wouldn't dare to. They only entered the office when they were told to get something there.

When he was satisfied that they weren't there he removed the vent cover and carefully placed it on the table beneath the vent. He then got out of the vent quietly and walked over to the door. Although the window in the door wasn't made of clear glass, he was still glad that the blind was pulled down. He stood closely by the door to listen if there were any guards, right outside, and he breathed out a sigh of relief when he couldn't hear anyone.

He'd seen where Sloane and Cuvee kept the guns one of the times he'd been in the office. He was happy to find the locker where the guns were kept unlocked, and took out one gun and a few clips. There were lots of guns and clips in the locker, so the one missing gun and few clips would go unnoticed. The silencer he took would go unnoticed too. He put the clips in the backpack, the silencer on the gun, took the safety off, walked over to the safe, and punched in the combination. On the same day he'd seen where they kept the guns, he'd seen Cuvee punch in the combination. Neither he nor Sloane had noticed that he'd watched them.

When the safe opened he took out his phone and the charger for it. He saw all the other documents in there for how to brainwash the triplets, as well as Jack and Irina's phones. He took one last look at everything before closing the safe and walked over to the desk. He sat down, placed the gun within reach, hooked up his charger to the extension cord, placed his phone in the charger, and then turned on the computer. He had things to search for.

Nearly three and a half hours later since leaving his room, he'd found everything he needed on the computer and from looking through the drawers. He'd written all the information down, then turned off the computer, left the desk the way he found it, picked up a whole stack of clean sheets of paper, and walked back over to the safe. He opened it again and took out all the documents from their folders and replaced them with the clean sheets of paper. He placed the folders back in the safe and put the documents in his back pack.

He then took out Jack and Irina's phones and walked over to the charger, placed Jack's phone in it, and found the number he was looking for. When he'd done that, he placed the phones back in the safe, his own charger too, and then closed the safe again. He knew it would be risky to take his own phone, but he needed it. It had also been placed way back in the safe, so he didn't think that anyone would notice it was gone if they merely took a glance in the safe. He also didn't think Sloane would look over the documents until he got the last one that he needed. He knew him well enough to know that he wanted all the documents there, before he started to look on how to brainwash the triplets.

With thirty minutes left he put the gun in the backpack, got the backpack in the vent, went into the vent, reached down picking up the vent cover, and put it back on. No one would be able to tell that he'd been in that office. He then crawled back to his room, took the vent cover off, put it down, put his backpack down, got out, placed the vent cover back on, got off the table, and put it back where it was before. He quickly got his suitcase and put some clothing in there, took out the documents from his backpack, wrapped his clothes around them, and closed the suitcase.

He filled the empty bottle he had with water from the sink he had in his room, and put it in the backpack. He also put a shirt in the backpack, so that he would cover the gun in case the guards searched it. Not that they'd have any reason to do that. He walked over to his bed and put the pillows and blankets back in their original places, so that it no longer looked like he was sleeping in it. Then he sat down and waited until it was time to leave.

Seconds before four hours had passed he turned off his watch, so it wouldn't make any sounds. He then picked up his suitcase and backpack and walked over to the door and knocked. Seconds later one of the guards opened the door and Sark nodded at him.

"I'm ready to leave." The guard nodded back.

"We're ready too." Sark smiled.

"That's good to hear. Let's go then." They left his room and walked outside to the waiting car and the other two guards. Sark smiled at them too. "I'm looking forward to going on this trip with you." One of the other guards nodded and smiled a little.

"Yeah, it's going to be good to get out of here for a while." Sark nodded. "You can put your stuff in the trunk." Sark walked over and placed the suitcase in the trunk and closed it. He smiled at the guard.

"I'm just going to take this inside with me."

"Sure, go ahead." Sark looked around at them.

"Well, let's get out of here." They all got in the car. One guard was driving, another one sat in the front with him carrying a gun, and the last guard sat next to Sark also carrying a gun. Seconds later they drove off.

* * *

After driving for two hours Sark started to get ready. They were in the area he needed them to be in for him to carry out his plan. They'd driven in the opposite direction of Sloane and Cuvee, so he knew he wouldn't run into them. The area, they were in now, was desolated, but there were still a lot of trees and bushes. Plenty of cover to hide dead bodies. He reached down in his backpack and the guard next to him immediately pointed his gun at him.

"What do you think, you're doing?" Sark put up his hands in surrender.

"I'm just going to take out my water bottle." He reached in his backpack and took out the water. The guard sighed in relief, and the guard, who wasn't driving, sighed in relief too. He'd kept an eye on Sark too, when the other guard had asked him what he was doing. Sark held out the water bottle to the guard next to him. "Do you want some water?" The guard eyed him skeptically and Sark rolled his eyes at him. "I haven't been able to poison the water, but if it helps you feel better, I'll drink first." He took a large drink from the bottle and swallowed. He could tell that the guard was relieved again, and he then handed him the bottle. "Would you like some water?" The guard smiled and nodded.

"Yes that would be nice. Thank you." He took the bottle from Sark and Sark smiled back.

"You're welcome." When the guard took the bottle Sark put his hand in the backpack again. He grinned a little at the guard. "Now relax. I'm just going to take out my gum." All the guards laughed a little and the guard next to him nodded.

"Go right ahead."

As soon as the guard next to him put the bottle to his mouth, Sark pulled out his gun and shot him. He then quickly shot the other guard in the front seat. The guard driving the car was about to reach for the gun the guard next to him was carrying, but Sark was quicker and placed his gun to the driver's temple.

"I guess, I misspoke. I meant, I was taking out my _gun_ and not my _gum_. How silly of me. Park the car over by that large tree."

"Go to hell." Sark laughed.

"If I go to hell, you can be sure that you're going with me." He pressed the gun a little harder to his temple. "Do as I say or I'll kill you right now. I'm sure I'll be able to jump out of the car and walk away with only a few minor scratches. But if you do as I say, I'll take you with me, give you enough money, so that you can go off somewhere and live a better life than the one you're living as one of Cuvee's guards." The guard considered Sark's words for a moment and then decided to stop the car by the tree.

"Okay. We have a deal." Sark smiled.

"Thank you. Now please get out of the car slowly and keep your hands up where I can see them. I hope you don't mind, but I'll have to keep you tied until I get to where we're going. I don't want you all of a sudden turning on me." The guard nodded.

"Fair enough." They both got out of the car slowly.

"Turn around slowly and walk backwards to the other side of the car." The guard did as he was told and stopped by the passenger door in the front.

"Do you want me to get the others out?" Sark shook his head.

"No that won't be necessary. They're both still carrying guns, and I would hate for you to get one of them and kill me." The guard shook his head.

"I wouldn't do that. Your offer is too good to pass up." Sark smirked.

"Yes, I would assume it would be. But funny thing about deals. They can be broken." The guard hardly had time to register what Sark was saying before he was killed.

Sark quickly walked over to the guard to make sure he was dead. Then he opened the passenger door in the front to make sure that guard was dead too. Lastly, he opened the door in the back and checked on that guard too. They were all dead. He then got the body on the ground off the road and hid him in the ditch that was covered by bushes. He did the same with the other two guards, and then found a bunch of branches and covered the bodies with them. He knew that no one really came this way and that the bodies would've been covered enough by the bushes, but he still wanted to be absolutely sure that the bodies wouldn't be noticed. After he'd done that he cleaned the car, put the guards' guns he'd taken from them in the trunk, put their phones he'd taken from them on the seat in the front, took one last look to be sure that everything was covered up, and then got in the car and drove off.

After driving for more than an hour he got out on a busy road and a few minutes later he pulled the car in to the side. He got the backpack from behind his seat and got out the information he needed to use first. He had an important phone call to make and arrangements had to be made quickly. Luckily he could assemble a team fast that would be able to strike quickly, and once that was taken care of and everyone was safe, he had an equally important phone call to make and information to give out.

* * *

At noon at APO everyone was gathered in the meeting room and sat down to have lunch together. They hadn't been able to find anything new in the last two days. They ate in silence and were a bit startled when Sydney's phone rang. She looked at the number a little oddly. Vaughn looked at her puzzled.

"Syd, what's wrong?" She shook her head.

"Nothing. I just don't know this number." He shrugged.

"You should probably answer it anyway." She nodded and answered the phone.

"Hello?"

"_Sydney, it's Julian Sark."_

**TBC**


	22. Chapter 22

**SofiaBlackBristow:** Yes, I absolutely agree with you that Cuvee isn't human at all. He's indeed one sick bastard. Thank you for reading and commenting. :-)

* * *

**Chapter 22**

Sydney stared a little wide eyed at the sound of Sark's voice. Everyone looked at her wondering who was on the other end of the line. Then Sydney got furious.

"Where the hell, are my parents and siblings, Sark? You better not be calling to taunt us. You better be calling to make a deal, so that we can get them back." Everyone looked wide eyed at Sydney with the mention of Sark's name.

"It's Sark?"

"Why's he calling and not Sloane or Cuvee?" Sydney shrugged.

"_I can hear voices in the background, so I assume that you're at work. Can you put me on speaker? It's really important and urgent that you all listen to what I'm calling you about."_

"It damn well better be important." Sydney looked at the others. "He wants to be put on speaker."

Marshall got the equipment needed to hook up Sydney's phone so everyone could listen and talk to Sark. He placed the phone in the middle of the table and nodded at Dixon and Kendall. Dixon put his hands on the table and leaned in closer to the phone.

"Sark, this is Assistant Director Dixon. What are your demands?"

"_I don't have any demands. I'm calling to tell you how to rescue Irina, Jack, and the children." _Sydney shook her head angrily.

"That's bullshit. You don't do anything out of the goodness of your heart."

"_No, I admit that, that's not been my thing in the past, but I'm a change man."_

"Is that your idea of a joke? You were in the video that was sent to us. You're working with Sloane and Cuvee. This is just some sick and twisted attempt to trap us. But you can forget it, because it won't work."

"_Sydney__, I can understand that none of you are willing to believe that I'm telling you the truth, but I swear I am. I never worked with Sloane and Cuvee voluntarily. They forced me."_ Sark started to get a little desperate with not being able to get through to them.

"Forced you? The last time we saw you, you helped Sloane escape from Mongolia. You're working with them. Just admit it."

"_Mongolia was five years ago. I stopped working with Sloane nearly a year after Mongolia. I thought he would treat me as an equal, but instead I was nothing but his lackey. He used me and I was nearly killed on several occasions on suicidal missions that he sent me on."_

"Tell it to someone who gives a damn about you."

"_Look, Sloane was not happy with me leaving. Especially not with his injured knee. He had trouble getting around back then. He swore he'd get his revenge on me, and he did about three months ago when he kidnapped me, my girlfriend, and our daughter."_

Everyone stared wide eyed at the phone. They then looked around at each other, shocked at what Sark had just told them. They then looked down at the phone again. After a few seconds Eric broke the silence.

"I'm sorry, but your what?"

"_After leaving Sloane I didn't know what to do. I didn't know whether to continue as a criminal, or if I should try to see if I could get a legal job or stay in hiding forever. I traveled for a few months deciding what to do and that's when I met my girlfriend. It might sound like a fairytale or something taken out of a movie, but I fell in love with her the moment I saw her, and she changed my life. After spending a few weeks together, I told her everything about myself, and she helped me turn my life around. I've lived a crime free life for the past four years, and about a month before we were captured by Sloane, our daughter was born."_ Vaughn shook his head in disbelief.

"You actually reproduced?" Sark snapped at Vaughn.

"_This is no time for jokes Mr. Vaughn."_ Vaughn snapped back.

"I wasn't trying to be funny. I just don't buy into you having a child."

"_People change. Irina killed your father, and you've hated her for years for doing that. Yet now, you seem to be getting along perfectly fine. Fact is that people change. The CIA changed their minds about Irina when they let her work for them, and Irina changed when she got her family back. I changed when I found love. The fact is that I have a girlfriend and a daughter that I haven't seen since they kidnapped us."_ Sark's voice broke and they could hear him getting emotional. _"We were on holiday in Paris. It was stupid really, because I'm still a wanted man, but we wanted to go there. Unfortunately, Cuvee had some of his men there and they spotted us. They took pictures of us, and gave them to Cuvee. His men kept track of us, and shortly thereafter we were kidnapped. Cuvee and Sloane told me that if I ever wanted to see my family again, I would do what they told me to do. If I didn't follow their orders, they'd kill my girlfriend and daughter. I had no other choice than to do as they said."_

"So say for a minute that we believe you and that you're actually calling to help. How did you get away from them and what about your family?"

"_Sloane and Cuvee went to town to relax for the day. I convinced them that I had changed and that I wanted to work with them for real. I asked them to let me go and get the last documents needed for brainwashing the triplets, thereby also asking for a few days off where I would be accompanied by guards. They were reluctant at first, but bought into my story and let me go. When they left I told the guards that we weren't leaving for another four hours. All the time I've been with Sloane and Cuvee, I've been locked in a room and only been let out whenever they needed me. I've had time to crawl through the vent and found their office this way. Once I was on my own in my room, I started to crawl through the vent, and went to their office. I knew the combination to the safe, because one time when I was in their office with them, I saw the combination. Jack and Irina's phones were in there, which is how I got your number, Sydney. The other documents for brainwashing the triplets were also in there, and I took them with me. When I got to their office, I started to look around on their computer and in the drawers to get clues as to where my family was, and to get satellite pictures of the prison, so that you would know how to get them out. I also took a gun with me, which I killed the guards with that were in the car with me. Once I was on my own in the car and on a busy road, I got a team ready and told them where my family was. I needed to get my family safe first before calling you. I got confirmation a few hours ago that they were rescued without any complications, and right before calling you, I got another call telling me that they were now at a safe location._" Nadia shook her head.

"Wait, back up a minute. Prison? Just where exactly are our parents and siblings?"

"_They're in the prison in Kashmir."_

"What? That's impossible. That prison was destroyed years ago when I was there with my parents."

"_Cuvee rebuilt it. He rebuilt it in hopes that he would one day be able to get Irina back there. He refers to the place as her home, and says that this is where she belongs."_ Everyone looked around at each other a little nervously. Sydney swallowed and spoke a little calmer.

"Have Sloane and Cuvee hurt them?"

"_I've been kept pretty much in the dark about everything, but as far as I know, they've only beat__en them a little. Mostly your father, I think. As far as I know, Cuvee hasn't raped your mother yet, but I definitely believe he intends to."_ Everyone gasped a little, and Sark sighed. _"The last thing I want is for Jack and Irina to get hurt more than they've already been. That's why I need you to trust what I say. You need to rescue them." _Sydney and Nadia started to cry, and Carrie did too. Dixon took over from Sydney.

"You said you took the documents for brainwashing the triplets."

"_Yes."_

"Where are those documents now?"

"_I destroyed them. I pulled into a gas station where I bought gasoline and a lighter. The minute I was at a secure location, I set them on fire. I don't want anyone to get their hands on those documents, so I thought it was best to destroy them. I taped myself setting them on fire with my camera in my phone. I will send you the video along with all the other information you need to rescue them."_

"What about the last documents? The ones you told Sloane and Cuvee you would bring back."

"_I still haven't picked those up yet. It will be nearly seventy hours before I can get them. The meeting was set up a while ago, and there's no way of changing that. Once I have the documents, I will destroy those too."_

"So in about seventy hours you will be getting those documents?"

"_Yes. I wish I would be getting them sooner, because you really need to get to Kashmir, but I don't really think you can try to rescue them much sooner than seventy hours from now. Should anything go wrong, I don't want there to be a chance that Cuvee and Sloane will get their hands on those documents."_

"We'll need a lot of time to plan the rescue mission, so I don't think we'll be able to plan our strike much sooner. But that's of course only if you're telling us the truth."

"_I swear to you that I am. I have the code you need to get the satellite readings of the prison without them knowing that you're watching them. You will be able to see everything on those readings, and will be able to take down the guards before they get to you."_

"How many guards are there?"

"_There are sixty-one guards left, and then there are Sloane and Cuvee."_ Kendall shook his head.

"There's a total, of sixty-three people there?"

"_Yes. Sloane and Cuvee wanted to be absolutely secured. The prison outside is heavily guarded and there are guards outside the room Jack and Irina are in, as well as the room the triplets are in."_ Nadia spoke again through tear filled eyes.

"You told us how the situation with our parents is like. How are our siblings doing?"

"_I don't know. Unlike your parents, the triplets are being fed and getting water. But they're still tied up and mostly blindfolded. The only comforting thing I can tell you is that they haven't started brainwashing the triplets yet. They need the last documents in order to do that."_ Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

Kendall and Dixon exchanged glances and then they nodded at each other. Dixon leaned closer to the phone again.

"Sark, we're just going to put you on hold for a minute. We need to discuss things before we let you send us anything."

"_I understand, but please choose to believe that I'm telling you the truth."_

"We'll get back to you in a little while." Dixon nodded to Marshall, and he shut Sark off, so he couldn't' listen in on their conversation. Dixon looked around at everyone. "So what do you think? Is he telling us the truth?" Everyone looked around at each other and then Carrie nodded.

"I know it sounds ridiculous, but I think he's telling the truth. His voice is shaky, and he sounds genuinely worried about what might happen to Jack and Irina. I don't think he's faking it." Kendall gave a slight nod, looked around at everyone and then looked at Katya.

"Katya, do you have an input? From what Irina might have told you about Sark over the years, do you suspect that he's not telling the truth?" Katya looked at Kendall and shook her head.

"No, I agree with Carrie. He sounds sincere. He also used to look up to Irina, and although he might have gone against her in the past, I don't think he is this time. I think we can trust him, and I don't think we can afford not to." He nodded and looked around at the others.

"Does anyone else have something to add?" Sydney looked at him.

"Although I would normally not trust anything Sark has to say, I have to admit that I think he's being honest. He actually sounds like he cares what happens to mom, dad, and the triplets." Kendall nodded and Dixon looked around at everyone.

"So can we all agree that we believe what Sark is telling us?" Everyone nodded and he and Kendall exchanged glances again and nodded. "Marshall, let Sark back on." Marshall nodded and did as he was told. "Sark."

"_Yes?"_

"We have decided to believe that you're telling us the truth." They could all hear that he breathed out a sigh of relief.

"_You have no idea how happy I am to hear you say that. Thank you for believing me."_

"We need you to send us all the information you have. Marshall is going to create an email account and you're going to send all the information to that account." Dixon looked at Marshall. "Create an account. It doesn't matter where, just create an account quickly." Marshall nodded.

"Right away." Marshall got started on creating an account and in a short while he looked back at Dixon. "Done."

"Give Sark the address."

"In capital letters you write love. That's followed by an equality sign and the numbers two, five, and seven. Then there's the At followed by hotmail dot com."

"_Got it. It'll just take a few minutes."_ They heard him typing away on his keyboard. _"Jack and Irina are being kept in the same room in the basement in the middle of the building. You'll easily see the instructions on how to show their whereabouts on the satellite readings. The triplets are being kept on the floor above them in the second last room on the right when you enter from the main entrance. Sloane and Cuvee's office is on the floor above the triplets."_ Several minutes passed in silence and finally Sark stopped typing. _"Sending the information now."_ A few seconds went by before Marshall looked at Dixon and Kendall and nodded.

"Marshall put the email on display on the big screens." Marshall nodded and punched in a few keys and seconds later everyone could see the email on the big screens. They all looked at the big screens for a few seconds before Kendall turned around to everyone.

"Marshall, Carrie, and Katya get started on getting us satellite of the prison." He then looked at Sydney and Nadia. "You two look over the video that Sark sent of him burning the documents." He looked at Vaughn and Eric. "And you two get us a map of Kashmir and find a location where we can stay until we need to strike." They all nodded and got started on everything.

Sydney and Nadia got the link to the video and showed them on one of the big screens so that everyone could follow too. Kendall looked over the video with them. They zoomed in on the footage, so that they could get a closer look on the documents and went back a few times to make sure that they'd gotten a good look. Sydney looked at Nadia and Kendall.

"From what we know of the procedure, those documents seem to be correct." Kendall nodded.

"Yes, I agree." They all three sighed in relief. "It's a good thing that those got destroyed." Kendall moved back to the table and leaned closer to the phone. "Sark, you've proven yourself trustworthy in regards to the video. We conclude that those documents would indeed help to brainwash the triplets or anyone else for that matter." He heard Sark sigh in relief on the other end.

"_I'm glad you could see that I was telling you the truth. Thank you."_

"We'll get back to you when we have the satellite readings." Kendall walked over to Marshall, Carrie, and Katya. "How are things coming along? Any readings yet?" Marshall shook his head.

"No, not yet, but we should get the readings in a matter of a few minutes."

Kendall walked over to Dixon, who was helping Vaughn and Eric with the maps of Kashmir. He looked at them for a few seconds and then started to pace around a little. He gave Sydney and Nadia a comforting smile, though it wasn't that strong. They gave him the same kind of smile and didn't really seem to be able to stand still either. A few minutes later Katya looked around at everyone.

"We have the readings."

"Put them up on the big screens and get us a picture of each level of the building as well as the outside." Marshall nodded.

"Right away."

A few seconds later Marshall had every level of the building up on all the screens and one was showing the outside. Nadia pointed to one of the screens that was showing three people sitting closely together.

"The triplets are there." Marshall nodded.

"Yeah that's the floor above the basement." Dixon looked at Kendall.

"Another proof that Sark was telling the truth." Kendall nodded back.

"Yeah." Sydney pointed to another screen.

"There's the room mom and dad are in. Well, two people are sitting across from each other, so that have to be mom and dad." Marshall looked at the screen and then nodded.

"Yes that's the basement." Eric shook his head.

"There are really a lot of guards." Dixon nodded.

"Yeah, we have quite a lot of planning to do." He walked back to the table and leaned closer to the phone. "Sark we have the readings and everything turned out like you said. We have your list of what every room in the building is for, and which room belongs to whom. It seems we have everything we need to get started on planning a rescue, but is there anything else you can tell us that we might need to know?"

"_No, not really that I can think of. The only thing I can tell you is that there's no longer a minefield. Cuvee destroyed that when he rebuilt the building. I guess he didn't think he would need it anymore. I'm sure you'll be able to get a scan of the ground and see that there aren't any mines."_ Dixon looked over at Marshall and Marshall nodded in return.

"I'm already on it." A few seconds went by and Marshall looked back at Dixon. "He's right. There's no minefield anymore." Dixon turned his head back to the phone.

"It seems you've been right about everything. But I swear that if you're lying or are in some way trapping us or are in any way out to hurt us, we will hunt you down and kill you."

"_I swear to you on my daughter's life that I'm not out to hurt you. I want Sloane and Cuvee stopped just as much as you do. I swear to you that I'm not up to anything."_ Everyone looked around at each other and by the sound of Sark's voice they agreed that he wasn't out to hurt anyone other than Sloane and Cuvee.

"Good. Like I said, we have everything we need for the rescue, so we will get started on making plans and arrangements. You said that you'll be getting the last documents in about seventy hours. What time exactly will you be picking up the documents?"

"_At noon here."_

"I assume that if we need to get in touch with you, we can reach you at this number?"

"_Yes, you can. My location is untraceable, so you can go ahead and call me. If I need to get in touch with you, can I call you at your number, Sydney?" _Everyone turned to Sydney. She waited a few seconds and then moved closer to the table.

"Yes, you can get in touch with me at this number, but only if you need to. If you're out to hurt us, I swear I'll kill you."

"_I swear, Sydney. I'm not out to hurt you. I know that I should pay for my crimes, but I have a family to look out for, so all I can offer you is my sincerest apologies. I'm truly sorry for all the hurt and pain I've caused you over the years, and I wish that I'd never helped Sloane escape in Mongolia. But I did, so all I can do now is help, you capture him and Cuvee and get your family back home safely."_ Sydney said nothing and Dixon took over again.

"Okay, now that we know what time you'll be getting the documents, we'll arrange for you to call us when you have them, and are at a safe distance. We'll more than likely arrange for our strike to be at 12.30 or at 1.00."

"_I'll make sure to get in touch with you as soon as I'm out of sight from anyone."_

"Good. You'll also call us shortly before you leave to get the documents, and you'll take pictures of the documents and send them to us at the email address you were given. Is that understood?"

"_Yes absolutely."_

"I don't think we have anymore to add." He looked around at everyone. When they all shook their heads, he turned his head back to the phone. "No that's it."

"_Then I'll leave you to your plans. I wish you the best of luck with everything, and I'll be in touch."_

"Yes, you better."

"_I will. Bye."_ When no one said anything back, Sark hung up the phone. Dixon looked around at everyone.

"Get started on looking more closely into the satellite readings and map. We don't have much time to come up with a plan, and there's a lot we need to work out." Everyone nodded and got started. Dixon looked at Kendall. "I'll get in touch with Hayden and tell her what's going on. You call Devlin and fill him in on the latest developments and give him all the information we have." Kendall nodded.

"I'm on it."

Before Dixon and Kendall left the room everyone looked around at each other. For the first time in a long time they had hope that everything would turn out alright, but there was still a long way to go. They smiled at little at each other and stayed silent for a few seconds before they all got on with work.

* * *

A couple of hours later Dixon and Kendall were in Dixon's office when Marshall walked in. They looked up at him when he came in, both looking at him a little curiously.

"Marshall, is there something wrong? Did anything unexpected show up on the satellite readings?" Marshall shook his head.

"No, not at all. I just wanted to ask you something. It's a request really." They looked at each other and then looked back at Marshall.

"What's your request?"

"I know that I should probably stay behind and oversee the mission from the monitors here at APO, but I want to go on the mission and be in the field with everyone else. Carrie and Katya are more than capable of handling the monitors, and I have the necessary field training in order to go on this mission." Dixon and Kendall looked at each other again, not really knowing what to do about Marshall's request. Kendall turned to Marshall first.

"Marshall, I really think your help will be best served here." Marshall shook his head.

"No, it wouldn't. I can do just as much good out in the field that I can do sitting by a computer. I have a good aim, and if there's something that needs to be deactivated on sight, I will be your best choice to take care of that." Dixon shook his head.

"Marshall, we're not so sure that it's such a good idea. We think it's best that you stay here." Marshall got a little angry.

"Oh come on." They looked at him a little surprised with his slightly angry outburst. "If anything technical needs to be handled on sight, I'm the one to do it and you know that. You can't afford not to send me on the mission. Do I need to call Devlin, and get permission from him to go?" Their eyes shot up even more in surprise before their looks softened. They looked at each other again, nodded at each other before turning to Marshall.

"No that won't be necessary. You're right, Marshall. If anything technical needs to be handled on sight, you're our guy to take care of that. You can go on the mission." Marshall smiled a little.

"Thank you. Thank you so much." He looked at them for a few seconds more just smiling a little. "I should get back to work." They nodded and he left, but turned back around to face them when he was at the door. He smiled a little apologetically. "I'm sorry, I got a little angry. I didn't mean to." They smiled back at him.

"It's quite alright, Marshall."

"Yeah, we're all pretty worked up at the moment and just want to get Jack, Irina, and the triplets home. Everyone's emotions are at times allover the place." He nodded back, gave them one last smile and then left. When he was gone, Dixon and Kendall looked at each other and looked at each other with a bit of disbelief.

"I didn't really know he could get angry like that."

"No, me neither. It was quite surprising." Kendall nodded.

"But he was right. If there's anything that needs to be deactivated or if there's any technical problems we need to take care of on sight, he's the one to do it."

"Yes, I agree."

"But with him on the mission, we could really use an extra pair of eyes here. There'll only be Carrie, Katya, and myself that have the best experience to look at the monitors." Dixon nodded.

"You're right." They stood in silence for a while. Then Dixon looked at Kendall. "I've just thought of someone we can get to help us. I'm just going to call Devlin and arrange it." Kendall nodded.

"Okay. I'll just go and help the others." Dixon nodded back and they went back to work.

They spent the rest of the day and early evening looking over everything Sark sent them and being on the phone to make plans for the rescue. Everything needed to be planned in great detail, and even though they all wanted nothing more than to just go to Kashmir and get Jack, Irina, and the triplets back and apprehending Sloane and Cuvee, they also knew they couldn't afford to have any loose ends. They needed everything to work out perfectly and they needed a big team in on the rescue. They also needed to be well rested for another day of planning on the following day, so everyone except for Dixon and Kendall went home in the early evening. Dixon and Kendall stayed up for several hours more before they went to sleep in the beds set up at APO.

* * *

In Kashmir Jack had been awake for a long time. He had no idea what time it was, but he had a feeling that it was later than usual. He also had a feeling that more time had passed than just a night, and knew that, that was a form of torture too, to let the victim stay in darkness to lose track of time.

He knew Irina was awake too. They hadn't talked much since the last time Sloane and Cuvee had left them in the darkness. It was hard to stay positive after continuously seeing videos of Irina getting raped and the hope of ever getting rescued was slowly fading away. There wasn't much they could say to each other that would make them feel better.

They sat in silence for a while longer before the door was opened. One of the guards stepped in turning on the lights and Jack looked over at Irina immediately. She was resting her head against her knees and it broke Jack's heart to see her so devastated. He wanted to say something to her, but knew that there was nothing he could really say that would cheer her up.

More guards stepped in with the TV, DVD-player, a table, and two chairs. Jack saw them and swallowed. He'd hoped that they'd be done with watching the DVDs, but also knew that as long as they were watching the DVDs, they hopefully wouldn't be getting a live show soon. He shivered at the thought of seeing Cuvee raping Irina right in front of him. He would rather die than let that happen to her, but he also didn't see how he could prevent it.

When the guards were done setting up the equipment most of them stepped out and a few seconds later Cuvee and Sloane walked in. Jack gave them his death glare, but they merely laughed at him. Instead of walking over to Irina first, Cuvee walked over to Jack. He smirked at him.

"Hello Jack. Ready to watch some more videos of my fun with Irina? I know I am." He laughed in Jack's face. "She really is something, isn't she? Plunging in and out of her over and over again is really an incredible feeling, wouldn't you agree?" Jack glared at Cuvee even colder than before and then he spit in his face. Cuvee's smirk faded and he wiped the spit off his face. Then he stared at Jack angrily, grabbed his head and banged it against the wall a few times. Jack winced in pain a little, and when Cuvee was done he punched Jack in the face several times. Cuvee stepped back a little. "I think it's time we watched some more DVDs." Sloane nodded.

"I think that's an excellent idea."

"But first I'm just going to say hello to Irina." He walked over to her and smirked at her. "Hello Irina. I've missed you. Did you miss me?" She kept her head on her knees and Cuvee got a little mad. "I asked you a question, Irina." She still didn't answer or look at him. He got angrier and grabbed her hair and yanked her head back. He laughed when he saw her tear filled eyes. "Did you miss me that much that it made you cry?" She glared back at him angrily.

"No, you bastard."

He merely continued to laugh. Then he squatted down next to her. Still yanking her head back, he stuck his free hand under her shirt and groped her breast while he licked the side of her face and her ear. She tried to avoid his touch, but just like all the other times she'd tried this there was no avoiding him. Jack was fighting against his chains. Cuvee and Sloane simply laughed at him. Cuvee let go of Irina after a little while and stood up. He looked over at Jack, who was sending him his death glare.

"Soon you'll see me doing a lot more than that, Jack. Now let's watch some more DVDs." Sloane sat down and Cuvee put a DVD in the DVD-player. Before sitting down he looked between Jack and Irina. "You know how this goes. You both look at the DVDs, and you won't get killed…..yet." He laughed before sitting down, and then he pressed play.

Jack quickly looked over at Irina. Her eyes were on the screen with a few tears rolling down her cheeks. He blinked back tears of his own and then looked at the screen.

Several hours went by where they watched DVDs. Jack was trying his best not to throw up even though he nearly did several times. He caught a few glances at Irina from time to time, and she looked worse by each DVD they watched. He feared what her state of mind would be like when Cuvee raped her here.

Dinner was brought down a little while later, and while Sloane and Cuvee ate they continued to watch DVDs. They continued to watch for a little while after they'd eaten and when another one ended Cuvee turned off the TV. Sloane looked at him.

"I think it's time for some dessert, don't you agree, Gerard?" Cuvee smiled and nodded.

"Yes, I most certainly do. I've been looking forward to this for a long time. Let me just get things ready." He stood up and looked at Jack and Irina. He laughed before leaving the room. Sloane got up from his seat and walked over to Jack. He smirked at him.

"I really enjoy watching the DVDs. Irina is a very beautiful woman. I'm glad I get to watch her in all her glory, and soon I'll be getting a much closer look." He laughed while Jack glared at him.

"Tell me something, Arvin." Sloane looked at Jack amused.

"What, Jack?"

"Is my daughter responsible for the injury to your knee?" Sloane's smile faded and Jack smirked at him. Then he laughed a little. "Oh wait. Let me be more specific since I have four daughters. I meant Nadia." Sloane got angrier while Jack merely continued to smirk at him, and he then punched Jack several times in the face. When he stopped Jack laughed and looked back at Sloane. "My grandchildren hit harder than that, and that includes my two grandsons, who are not even a year old yet." Sloane was just about to hit Jack again, but let his arm fall to the side. He then smirked at him.

"Laugh all you want Jack, but soon, I'll be the one who's laughing. You do remember Geiger's method of torture, don't you?" Jack stopped laughing and he glared back at Sloane coldly. Now it was Sloane's turn to laugh. "Yes, I thought you'd remember. Well, let me tell you Jack that tonight's dessert is putting you through the same torture that Geiger put you through. I'm sorry to have spoiled the surprise, but in a few minutes you would've figured it out for yourself. I'm glad that I'm around this time to see you being put through that kind of torture." Sloane continued to laugh and then went back to the table and sat back down.

Jack looked over at Irina and for the first time in a long time she looked directly into his eyes. She was as white as ghost. He tried to give her a comforting smile, but it didn't do her much good and she started to cry again shaking her head a little.

It was bad enough seeing herself getting raped and reliving old nightmares, but what was worse for her to handle was the thought of Jack getting tortured. It had been bad enough seeing him getting beaten, but to actually see him getting tortured the way they intended to torture him was much worse. They looked into each others eyes until Cuvee came back with a bunch of guards. They were carrying the equipment needed for the torture and Cuvee had the biggest smile on his face. He looked at Jack while the guards got the equipment ready.

"I'm sure you can see what is about to happen, Jack."

"I already told him, Gerard." Cuvee looked at Sloane, who got up from his seat, and nodded.

"Good. Then he's had some time to get used to it."

"Sir, we're done." Cuvee looked back at the guards and smiled.

"Then let's get on with it."

"Wait." The guards stopped walking towards Jack and everyone looked at Irina. She spoke calmly. "Put me in that chair." Jack stared wide eyed at her, but she continued to look at Cuvee and Sloane. "Torture me, rape me, beat me. Do whatever you want with me, but leave Jack alone. Just leave him alone." Sloane and Cuvee laughed at her, and Cuvee looked at Sloane.

"Isn't that just sickening the way she's trying to spare him?" Sloane nodded.

"It most certainly is." Cuvee walked a little closer to her.

"Don't worry, Irina. You'll get raped, and you'll get raped over and over again. There's no stopping that, just like there's nothing stopping us from torturing Jack like this." He laughed and walked back to Sloane and then turned and looked back at Irina. "The rules are the same as for watching the DVDs. You watch Jack getting tortured or we kill him. Understood, Irina?" Tears fell from her eyes and her voice was shaking now.

"Ye…yes."

"Good girl." Then he gave the guards a nod.

They walked closer to Jack with their rifles. One of them hit Jack in the stomach with the butt of his rifle and another one did the same after the first one was done. They continued taking turns and then they did the same to his face. When they were sure that he was numb enough from the beating, they unlocked his chains and with some of the guards holding loaded rifles pointed to his head, other guards placed him in the chair and strapped him in. One of the guards then got some gel from a bottle and rubbed it on Jack's ankles. When that was done another guard got metal bracelets and attached those to his ankles.

Cuvee walked closer and picked up the jumper cables. He handed one to Sloane and kept the other one for himself. They each placed one on the metal bracelets and then stepped back to watch the sight. Sloane laughed.

"This really is a beautiful image." Cuvee laughed.

"Yes, it really is." He then looked at Sloane. "Would you like to do the honors, Arvin?" He gestured to the dial on the machine that would shoot the electricity through the metal bracelets. Sloane nodded.

"Gladly." He walked over to the machine and put his hand on the dial. Then he looked at Jack. "Anything you'd like to say before we get started, Jack?" Jack looked over at Irina and smiled lovingly at her.

"I love you, sweetheart. All my love forever and a day." She did her best to smile back through her tears.

"I love you too. So much." Cuvee looked at them angrily and then looked back at Sloane.

"Enough of this. Arvin, turn the dial."

"My pleasure."

Sloane did as Cuvee said, and Jack started to struggle against the shock of electricity going through his body. His body writhed against the restraints and after a few seconds of trying not to scream, he finally screamed at the top of his lungs from the pain.

Irina started to cry harder and harder. It tore her apart to see Jack in pain like that, and she wished she was in his place. He didn't deserve to be put through that kind of torture.

"STOP IT. STOP TORTURING HIM." She started sobbing and her voice was almost a whisper. "Please stop torturing him." Cuvee laughed and walked closer to her.

"So now you're begging? Well beg all you want, but unfortunately it's not the kind of begging I was looking for. The only begging I want to hear from you is when you'll be begging me to go harder, deeper, and faster as I have my way with you. You'll be begging me not to stop. That's the only begging I want to hear from you." He looked back at Sloane. "Turn the dial up higher. I want to hear him scream more than he is." Sloane turned the dial up higher and Cuvee got his wish. Jack screamed more.

Jack continued to scream and writhed and after a while Sloane and Cuvee exchanged glances and Sloane turned off the dial. Irina looked at Jack. He was barely conscious and she cried harder and harder.

Cuvee walked closer to Jack and grabbed his face. He looked him over and then laughed.

"Now it's my turn to have some fun." He let go of Jack's face and turned the dial. Jack writhed again and again. All Irina could do was look on helplessly and hope that Jack would still be alive when they were done. Sloane laughed a little.

"I haven't had this much fun in a long time." Cuvee nodded.

"Me neither. In fact, I'm having so much fun that I think we should see if he can't handle a little more."

"NO."

Irina looked at them with horror. She knew that there was only a certain amount of electricity that a person could handle, and even though Jack was strong, she also knew that turning up the dial could turn out to be lethal. Cuvee didn't even look at her.

"Oh yes, Irina." He then turned the dial higher.

After a while he shut the dial off. Jack was sitting motionless in the chair. They all looked at him and Sloane gave a nod to one of the guards. The guard examined Jack a little and then looked back Sloane and Cuvee.

"Sir, he barely has a pulse. He won't be able to handle another shock, and I don't even know if he'll live through the night." Irina sobbed silently and Cuvee laughed.

"That's too bad he can't handle another shock. We were having so much fun. But as much as I'd like to finish him off right now, I also want him to witness me having fun with Irina." He turned to the guards. "Get him out of the chair and chain him back to the pipes." They did as they were told and Cuvee turned to Sloane. "I guess we got a little carried away." They just laughed. "We just have to hope that he makes it through the night. But if he doesn't, it won't really be a big loss."

"I agree. After all, his death is inevitable."

"Exactly."

Cuvee and Sloane watched as the guards chained Jack to the pipes and placed him so he leaned back against the wall. His head fell to the side, and no one could really tell whether he was dead or alive. For all they knew, he could've easily died from the time they felt his pulse until now. The guards looked at Cuvee and Sloane when they were done with Jack.

"All done, sir."

"Clear the room of everything." One of the guards nodded.

"Right away, sir." They did as they were told and in a few minutes Jack, Irina, Sloane, and Cuvee were in only ones left in the room. Cuvee walked over to Irina.

"Did you enjoy the show, Irina?" She was crying too hard to say anything. He merely laughed. "Well, now that you got to see us having fun with Jack, I really hope he'll live to see the fun that's in store for you. We'll come by some time tomorrow and see if he's still breathing. Pleasant dreams." He walked back to Sloane and the two of them took one last look at Jack before they turned off the lights and left laughing.

Irina tried to get her emotions in control. It took a few seconds for her to be able to talk through her tears.

"Sweetheart? Sweetheart? Jack, can you hear me? Jack?" She couldn't stop the tears from falling and had to be quiet for a few seconds again. "Jack, I'm sorry that I haven't talked much the last couple of days. I should have, and I'm so sorry that I didn't. But right now I need you to talk to me. Talk to me sweetheart. Please talk to me. I need to hear your voice now more than ever. Jack please. Please."

He didn't say anything. She couldn't even hear him breathe. Leaning her head back against the wall she continued to sob. After a few minutes she thought that she'd try the same thing that he'd done.

"You are my sunshine, my only sunshine.  
You make me happy when skies are gray.  
You'll never know dear, how much I love you.  
Please don't take my sunshine away."

She waited for a long time to hear if he would say anything. He never did. She looked over at him in the darkness. Her voice could barely be heard through her tears.

"Stay with me, sweetheart. I can't lose you. The kids and grandkids can't lose you either. We need you and we love you. I love you, Jack. All my love forever and a day. I love you."

There was still no response and she felt helpless. She leaned back against the wall and continued to cry through the night, hoping that Jack would still be alive when the lights were turned back on the next day.

**TBC**


	23. Chapter 23

**SofiaBlackBristow:** Yes, he most certainly is - they both are. I agree that Jack and Irina should stay together forever and a day, but time will tell if Jack dies. Yeah, I would definitely agree that Cuvee and Sloane are not human beings. I'm so thrilled to hear you still love the story even with all the horrible things that are going on. Thank you so much for thinking it's well written. *blush* Thank you for reading and commenting - it means so much. Kiss to you too. :-)

**Rishka Derevko:** I love Jack too. I'm sorry I made you cry again, but I do feel honored that my story has that effect on you. *blush* Yeah, it's not fun being Irina. I'll keep posting as often as I can. Thank you for reading and commenting - it means so much. :-)

* * *

**Chapter 23**

Everyone at APO stood frozen in their place looking at the satellite readings. They had all gotten to work two hours ago and had been keeping an eye on the satellite readings while continuing working on the rescue mission. They'd kept a close eye on the room Jack and Irina were in, and when they noticed several people entering the room, they'd all stood around to see what was going on.

From the size of the two people, who were Jack and Irina, they quickly concluded that Jack was the one, who was getting beaten, and it didn't take them long to figure out that he was getting tortured. They stood in completely silence. The tears were rolling down Sydney's, Nadia's, and Carrie's cheeks, and everyone except for Katya were pretty emotional as well.

When they watched everyone leave and the room turning dark, they kept standing frozen in their place for a while. No one said anything. Vaughn then put an arm around Sydney, and Eric and Marshall did the same with Nadia and Carrie. Sydney and Nadia both started sobbing.

"Dad was tortured." Nadia buried her head in Eric's shoulder. Kendall nodded.

"Yes, it seems so. And by the looks of it, I'd say that he was tortured the same way Geiger tortured him."

"It was bad enough when he was tortured by Geiger, but this time it looked worse. He was tortured longer, and he…he…" Sydney shook her head as the tears kept coming. Vaughn tried his best to comfort her.

"It'll be okay, Syd. Your dad's strong. You have to remember that."

"I know, but what if he…" She swallowed. "What if he…he…" She couldn't get the words out. No one wanted to think about the possibility of Jack and Irina getting killed. Dixon walked closer to Sydney and Nadia.

"He's still alive. From the satellite readings we can see that he still has a pulse. It's not strong, but it's still there. As long as he's able to rest through the night, I'm sure he'll get stronger. He's going to make it." Sydney and Nadia nodded weakly.

"You're probably right."

"We have agents doing nothing but look at the satellite readings. They'll come and tell us if anything happens that we haven't seen ourselves." Nadia shook her head frustrated.

"But we should be there. We should be there right now getting them out of that hell. We should've gotten on a plane yesterday after talking to Sark. We could've come up with a plan on the plane. Damn it, why do we have to wait so long?" She continued to sob and Eric hugged her tighter. Katya walked closer to her and Sydney. She gave them a reassuring smile and spoke calmly.

"We'll get them back safely. You have to believe that. Just stay positive." They gave her a slight nod and she smiled back at them a little more. "Everything will work out just fine, you'll see. Now, why don't we get back to planning the mission. It won't do us any good to just stand here and watch the monitors." They nodded a little again. "But let's get some coffee and tea first." She walked with them out of the meeting room and Carrie followed too. Everyone else shook their heads frustrated and paced around the room a little.

Kendall had watched Katya. He shook his head in disbelief of her continued calmness. He still couldn't believe she could remain so positive. Even though they now knew where Jack, Irina, and the triplets were and were planning a rescue mission, he still couldn't understand that she seemed unaffected by seeing Jack tortured. He took another look at her standing by the coffeemaker before turning back to work.

* * *

Hours later everyone was gathered in the meeting room. Chase had arrived and they were going over the details for the mission.

"I've already talked to all who'll be going on this mission, but to make it clear to everyone the agents who'll be going are, agents S. and N. Bristow, agent Dixon, agent Vaughn, and agent Weiss. What most of you don't know is that agent M. Flinkman will be joining the team as well." Everyone but Dixon, Kendall, and Carrie looked at Marshall surprised. Marshall smiled a little at everyone. Sydney and Nadia smiled back and gave him a nod. He nodded in return. "With Marshall going on the mission, we need an extra pair of eyes to watch the monitors from here. I will be going with the team to Kashmir to overlook things from there, so we've had to get someone from another department to come and help." Everyone but Dixon and Kendall looked around at everyone a little curiously. Sydney looked at Chase again.

"Who?"

"Me." Everyone turned around and saw Rachel standing in the door to the meeting room.

"Rachel!" Sydney smiled at her and got out of her chair and went to hug her. Rachel and Will had known about everything since the triplets had been kidnapped, and had been informed about everything else that had happened along the way. Rachel gave Sydney a reassuring smile.

"We know where they are now. We'll get them home." Sydney nodded a little.

"I'm glad you're here."

"Will and TJ are here too. They're at the safe location with everyone else." That made Sydney smile a little more. Rachel turned to Nadia, who'd gotten out of her chair and joined Sydney. They hugged.

"I'm glad you're here too." Chase walked up to them and extended her hand to Rachel.

"It's good to have you back here." Rachel shook her hand and smiled.

"I'm glad to be able to help." Chase nodded.

"I know that you've been briefed about the mission, but have a seat, and we'll go over it again." She nodded and they all sat down.

After going over the mission in great detail Dixon got up from his seat.

"Since we're leaving tonight, I suggest that we go home and spend the time with our families. There's nothing more we can do at the moment anyway." They all nodded. "Hayden and I need to make a phone call to Washington to make sure that everything is going as planned. We'll get back to you when that's done, so don't go home yet." They nodded and he looked at Kendall. "I believe you'll be making a phone call to make sure that most of what we need is on the plane." Kendall nodded back.

"Yes, I'll be doing that now." He nodded back and Dixon looked at everyone.

"We'll all be back shortly." Everyone gave Dixon, Chase, and Kendall a nod before they left.

* * *

The others stayed in the meeting room talking, but after a few minutes Katya excused herself and walked out. She went to Kendall's office, and when she saw that he got off the phone, she walked in.

"I need to talk to you." He looked up at her.

"About what?"

"The mission. I want to be part of the team that goes to Kashmir."

"You can't. You're needed here." She shot him an annoyed look.

"I can be of better help in Kashmir. I want on that team." He shook his head.

"You're not field rated." She gaped at him for a few seconds and then got angry.

"Not field rated? What the hell does that have to do with anything? That's just bullshit. You know, I'm more than capable of being part of the rescue team even if I'm not field rated by the CIA. Put me on the rescue team now." He got angry too.

"No, you're not going. You're one of the best people we have to watch the monitors, and you're needed here. I'm field rated and I would love nothing more than to be part of the rescue team myself, but someone has to stay behind and be in charge of keeping an eye on everything, and watch the monitors as well."

"Marshall is going, and no offense to him, but if he's going, I should be going too."

"Marshall is going because if there's anything technical that needs to taken care of on sight, he's the one to do it."

"Still, I'm a better shooter than he is, so put me on the rescue team now."

"No, you're staying here."

"Why do I even bother talking to you? It's obvious that I should be talking to Marcus." She turned on her heels and walked out of Kendall's office quickly. He gave a frustrated grunt and followed her and was right behind her when she entered Dixon's office. "Marcus, I need to talk to you." Both Dixon and Chase looked at Katya curiously and at Kendall too, who looked annoyed.

"What do you need to talk to me about?"

"It's about the rescue mission. I want to be part of the team that goes to Kashmir."

"She just requested the same thing from me, but I told her that she has to stay here." She glared at Kendall angrily and then looked back at Dixon.

"He said, I'm not field rated and can't go on the mission, but we all know that I'm more than capable of going on this mission, and that I'll be of great use." Dixon and Chase looked from Katya to Kendall, then at each other and then back at Katya. Dixon nodded.

"Kendall is right that you're not field rated. But even though you'd be an important asset to the team, you're needed more here. We need the best of the best to keep an eye on the monitors, and you're the best of the best. Your expertise is needed here. I'm sorry, Katya, but we can't let you go." She let out a frustrated grunt. Chase gave her a soft smile and spoke kindly.

"We can understand that you want to go to Kashmir and bring your family home, but you'll be part of bringing them home. It'll just be from APO." Katya gave Chase an icy glare.

"Now you're all of a sudden being nice?" Chase was taken aback by Katya's behavior.

"Excuse me?"

"Ever since my sister started working for the CIA, you haven't given a damn about her. You've made her life hell. Our paths haven't crossed much, but every time we've met, I haven't gotten a very kind treatment from you either. But all of a sudden, you're nice?" Chase nodded and remained calm.

"I know that I haven't been pleasant to Irina or you, and I'm sorry about that."

"You're sorry?" Katya raised her voice more. "You damn well should be sorry. My sister is one of the best agents this agency has ever had, and you've treated her worse than you'd treat a prisoner. You even went so far as to accuse her of having something to do with Robin and her friend nearly getting raped."

"What?" Dixon stared wide eyed at Chase. This was the first time he was hearing about this. Chase looked back at him apologetically.

"Marcus, I didn't mean it." Katya scoffed.

"Of course you meant it." Chase shook her head and looked back at Katya.

"No, I didn't mean it. I just didn't think she had changed. I just wanted to see if I couldn't provoke her anger." She looked back at Dixon. "I didn't think she had anything to do with what happened to Robin and Melissa. I swear I didn't."

"My sister has done nothing but great work ever since she joined the CIA, and she's saved a lot of agents' lives with her teachings. You should be thinking about that, and not try to provoke her anger, which you'd never be able to do anyway. Everything you've ever said to her has hurt her, but never angered her."

"Yes, I can imagine she's told you everything I've ever said to her." Katya shook her head.

"No, Irina has never told me a thing." Chase looked at her surprised. "Out of respect for Marcus she never said a thing about the horrible things you said to her. Everyone else has told me what you've said about her, because there's usually been someone else with her whenever you've attacked her." Dixon looked at her stunned.

"Everyone knows?" He then looked at Kendall who nodded a little apologetically. He then looked back at Katya who looked at him apologetically and spoke to him softer.

"Yes, everyone knows." She put her hand on his arm. "Marcus, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you, or use this in any way so that I can be part of the team that goes to Kashmir. I was just standing up for my sister." He nodded and gave her a little smile.

"It's okay. I understand Katya." There was a few seconds of awkward silence. Dixon looked at Chase, who continued to look at him apologetically. He then looked back at Katya. "I understand that you want to be part of the team that goes to Kashmir, but it's not possible. We need people with expertise to watch the monitors, and you're one of the best ones qualified." He gave her hand a squeeze. "I'm sorry." She let out a frustrated sigh, but nodded.

"Fine. I'll just go back to the meeting room and talk to the others." He nodded and she left without looking at Kendall. He rolled his eyes and looked at Dixon.

"I'll be in the meeting room as well." Dixon nodded and Kendall left. Chase placed her hand on Dixon's arm.

"Marcus, I'm really sorry. I know that Irina has been nothing but kind to Robin, and to Stephen too, but despite all the good she's done I just couldn't or rather wouldn't acknowledge it. I was blinded by my job and didn't want to believe she'd changed. But I know that she has changed and that she's a good person. I'm sorry that I've been such an idiot. So sorry." He looked at her coldly.

"I have a mission to concentrate on. We'll talk when it's over." He was about to walk away, but she grabbed his arm.

"Marcus, please. I'm sorry." He looked back at her.

"My number one priority at the moment is getting Jack, Irina, and the triplets, home. That's all I can concentrate on right now." He pulled away from her and walked out of his office. She sighed and stayed in his office for a few seconds before joining the others in the meeting room.

* * *

Everyone stayed in the meeting room for a little while longer going over a few things. Then they slowly started leaving. Katya was putting a few notes away, when Marshall walked back into the room. She looked up at him when he entered and smiled.

"Did you forget something, Marshall?" He shook his head.

"No, I just wanted to talk to you." She looked at him a little curiously.

"What did you want to talk to me about?"

"Well, I don't really want to talk to you. It's really more that I have something I need to tell you." She smiled and nodded.

"Alright. What did you want to tell me?"

"I just want to say that I'm sorry, I'm going on the mission and you're not. I know that you want to go to Kashmir, but that you have to stay here and watch the monitors because I'm going."

"You heard me talking to Jim?" Marshall nodded.

"Yeah. I didn't mean to eavesdrop, but I was only a few feet away checking the gear, so I couldn't help but hear that you were talking." She looked at him apologetically and walked over to him, placing her hands on his shoulders.

"You shouldn't apologize, Marshall. I'm the one who's sorry about what I said. Jim was right. If there's anything technical that needs to be taking care of on sight, you're the one to do it."

"But you were right too. You're a much better shooter than I am. My aim might be good, but your aim is much better."

"Still, the team is full of sharp shooters, so I wouldn't be as important as you are to the team."

"I wish we were both able to go. It hardly seems fair that you can't go. I mean, they're your family." She smiled at him and gave his shoulder a gentle squeeze.

"I wish we could both go too, but they'll be in good hands. The most important thing is that we get them back safely."

"You think we'll get them back safely?" She gave him a reassuring smile.

"We have to believe that. We have to stay positive, and from the satellite readings we can see that Jack's still alive."

They looked over at the satellite readings that were still showing on the screens. Everyone had kept a close eye on the screen showing the room Jack and Irina were in to see if anything happened, and they were all relieved to see that Jack and Irina were left alone, and that Jack still had a pulse. Marshall nodded.

"Yeah, at least that's something." They looked at each other and smiled. "Well, I should be going. I want to spend some time with the kids before I leave."

"I'll walk out with you." They took one last look at the satellite readings before leaving the meeting room.

* * *

When Marshall and Carrie left APO they went home and spent some alone time with their children. Sydney and Vaughn did the same with their children, Nadia and Eric did the same with their children, and Dixon and Chase did the same with Stephen and Robin. At dinner time they all got together to spend the rest of the evening together until they had to leave, and they were joined by Katya, Sergei, Kendall, Will, Rachel, and TJ.

The children had all been told that their parents were going out of town, but as not to scare them they were not told that they were going to get Jack, Irina, and the triplets. They merely told them that they were going on a business trip, which was what they told them whenever they'd gone on a mission in the past. The only ones who knew that this wasn't an ordinary business trip were Stephen and Robin. The children were still a little scared with their parents going away fearing that something was going to happen to them, and Robin and Stephen were scared as well.

They all got to stay up as long as they could keep their eyes open, but eventually they were too tired to stay awake, and everyone said goodnight and goodbye to them before they were tucked in by their parents. The only kids, who still stayed up, were Robin and Stephen.

"How long will you be gone, mommy?"

Sydney saw the concerned look in Sarah's eyes as she tucked her in. She looked over at Isabelle, who was next to her sister and saw the same look in her eyes. Sydney tried her best to smile. She had to try to not make them worry so much.

"If everything goes well, we should be back in a few days."

"But what if everything doesn't go well? What if something happens to you like with grandpa, grandma, Maddie, Ethan, and Caitie?" She could see that they were getting teary eyed and she was doing her best not to cry herself.

"Isabelle, nothing's going to happen."

"But you don't know that." Vaughn walked into the room after having just checked on Nicholas. He sat down on Isabelle's side of the bed and took her by the hand.

"Sweetie, we know that you're both worried about mommy and me, but we promise you that we'll do everything we can to stay safe and to look out for each other. Okay?" They both nodded a little.

"Yeah, I guess."

"We'll call you as often as we can, and before you know it, we'll be home again. And while we're gone, you're going to have lots of fun with uncle Will, uncle Sergei, and your cousins."

"Also with uncle Kendall, aunt Carrie, aunt Rachel, and Katya, right?"

"Yes, you'll have lots of fun with them too. But they'll also be working while we're gone, so they might not be able to be here so much."

"Okay."

"Come here." Vaughn motioned for them to give him a hug and they both leaned in and hugged him. "I love you." He gave each of them a kiss.

"I love you too, daddy." Isabelle kissed him back and Sarah did the same.

"I love you too, daddy." Vaughn let go of them and Sarah hugged Sydney. "I love you, mommy." She gave her a kiss and Sydney kissed her back.

"I love you too, sweetie." She pulled Isabelle into her arms too, and hugged her. "I love you, Isabelle." She gave her a kiss and Isabelle kissed her back.

"I love you too, mommy." Sydney gave them another kiss.

"Time to sleep. Daddy and I will stay with you until we have to leave." They nodded and got back under the covers. Vaughn and Sydney both lay down on the bed with their daughters and Vaughn handed _Alice in Wonderland_ to Sydney, which she started reading from.

* * *

In one of the other rooms Nadia had just said goodnight to David. She handed him to Eric and went to the room Becky was in. Eric gave David a kiss on the head and smiled at his yawning son.

"Okay buddy, this is how it goes. While mommy and I are away, you're the man of the house. That means that you have to stop your sister from throwing wild parties. Can you do that for me?" David cooed and Eric smiled. "That's my boy. I love you." He gave him another kiss before putting him down. He stayed until David fell asleep, which didn't take long, and then he walked to Becky's room.

Nadia was sitting with Becky in her lap on the bed when he walked in. Nadia looked up at Eric.

"Is David asleep?"

"Yeah, he was out like a light." He sat down next to Nadia and gave Becky a kiss on the head. She looked at him, and it broke his heart to see that she'd been crying. "Come here, sweetie." He pulled her onto his lap and she wrapped her arms around his neck.

"I'm scared, daddy." He hugged her tightly and kissed the side of her head. He looked over at Nadia, who was blinking back tears.

"I know you are, but everything is going to be alright." She looked at him and he dried her tears with his thumbs.

"How can you be sure? What if something happens?" He smiled at her.

"Nothing's going to happen, because I have mommy with me. And mommy is the strongest person I know."

"She is?"

"Of course she is. Whenever I can't open a jar at home, who do I get to open it for me?"

"Mommy."

"Well, there you go. That proves how strong she is. You would think that I'd be able to open a jar on my own, but I can't, so I'm not nearly as strong as mommy." Becky giggled a little and Eric smiled even more. "But not only is mommy strong, she's also very good at protecting people. Nothing's going to happen to any of us, because mommy is looking after us." He looked over at Nadia and saw that she was giving him a big loving smile. Becky gave Eric a kiss.

"I love you, daddy."

"I love you too, sweetie." Becky let go of Eric and hugged Nadia.

"I love you, mommy." Nadia hugged her tightly and kissed her.

"I love you too, Becky." She took her face in her hands. "We'll be home before you know it, and we'll be very careful." Becky nodded and Nadia gave her another kiss. "Okay, back under the covers." She did as she was told and Nadia lay down next to her. Eric did the same and held both of them close.

"What story do you want to hear tonight?"

"The one about you and mommy's wedding." Eric smile broadly.

"That's one of my personal favorites." Nadia gave Eric's shoulder a squeeze.

"Mine too." They looked at each other smiling before Eric started telling Becky the story.

* * *

Marshall and Carrie had said goodnight to their children and were still in the room with them. Matthew, Chloe, and Gracie had fallen asleep, but Mitchell was still awake. He looked over at Marshall.

"Daddy, do you really have to leave?"

"Yeah buddy, I do."

"But mommy is staying, so why can't you?" Carrie stroked Mitchell over the head.

"Sweetie, daddy has to go. It's important that he goes and he's needed on this business trip. You understand that don't you?" Mitchell nodded a little.

"I guess."

"Mitch, listen." Mitchell looked over at his father. "I'll be well looked after. Your aunts Sydney and Nadia, and your uncles Vaughn, Eric, and Marcus are going, and they'll take good care of me. They'll make sure that I'll be alright. We'll all be looking after each other. Alright?"

"Okay, daddy." Marshall ruffled Mitchell's hair.

"Okay. I love you." Mitchell smiled.

"I love you too, daddy." Carrie snuggled a little closer to Mitchell and gave him a kiss.

"I love you too, Mitch."

"I love you, mommy."

* * *

Out in the living room Robin and Stephen were sitting on the couch with Dixon and Chase. They understood what was going to happen and why their father and Chase had to leave, but they still didn't like it. Robin looked at Chase.

"Why do you have to go too? Why can't you stay home with us?" Chase put an arm around Robin and gave her a loving smile.

"I have to be there to oversee things. I won't be in danger and you know how capable your father is of looking after himself. We'll both be safe and come home unharmed." Robin nodded.

"Yeah, I know, but I still don't like that you're both going." Chase pulled her into a hug.

"I know, honey. I know." Stephen put his head on Dixon's shoulder.

"I don't like it either." Dixon put his arm around his son and pulled him closer.

"Everything's going to be alright. We'll all be back home before you know it." Stephen and Robin nodded. "Just remember that, and remember that we love you." They both looked at their father and smiled a little.

"We know and we love you too." They then looked at Chase and smiled at her. She smiled back and then smiled at Dixon, but he didn't really look at her. He hadn't talked to her all day, and she knew that he probably wouldn't until the mission was over. She looked back at Robin and kissed her head, hugging her a little tighter.

* * *

Hours later everyone was gathered at the airstrip. Kendall, Katya, Carrie, Sergei, Rachel, and Will were there to say goodbye and wish the others good luck. Everyone's children were looked after by trusted agents.

After having just hugged Rachel, Sydney hugged Will next.

"I'm so glad that you're here. The kids are glad to have you around too."

"I'm glad I can be here." He gave her a kiss on the cheek and then looked at her. "Don't worry about the kids at home. They'll be safe. You just concentrate on getting your parents and siblings home." She nodded. "I'll see you soon." They hugged again.

Carrie was hugging Marshall. When she let go of him she dried her eyes, while he still had his arms around her.

"You better come home alive, Marshall, because I don't know what I'll do if you don't." She started crying again, and he helped her dry her tears.

"I'll come home, I promise. Before you know it, I'll be leaving a mess in the basement from some new gadget I'm working on. I'll be rambling on and on of all the things it can do, and you'll be nodding trying to pretend you know what I'm talking about. The living room will be filled with the kids' toys, but I'll be the one who's been playing with them." She let out a small laugh and he smiled at her. "I'll come home." They rested their foreheads against each other and he spoke softer and quieter. "I'll come home." She wrapped her arms around his neck and they kissed.

Sydney was now hugging Sergei with Nadia. He gave them both a kiss on the cheek.

"You go and give those bastards what they deserve, alright?" They both nodded. "But more importantly, you bring our family home."

"They will, Sergei." He looked over his shoulder and saw Katya walking up behind him. She gave all three of them a reassuring smile. "Irina, Jack, and the triplets will get back here safely, and before you know it, we'll all be sitting in their yard having a barbeque." He nodded and smiled a little and so did Sydney and Nadia. Sergei let go of them and Katya hugged them. "Take care, girls."

"You too."

"We'll talk to you soon."

Kendall had just said goodbye to Marshall and now walked over to say goodbye to Dixon and Chase. He and Dixon stood looking at each other without saying anything. No words needed to be said. They both knew what was at stake and even if they had a strong plan for rescuing Jack, Irina, and the triplets, things could still go horribly wrong. They gave each other a nod and then hugged.

"We'll talk soon. Stay safe and take care." Dixon nodded.

"We will. Take care." Kendall turned to Chase.

"The same goes to you." She nodded.

"You take care too." Sydney and Nadia walked up to Kendall.

"Bye Kendall." Sydney hugged him first and he gave her a kiss on the cheek.

"Stay safe, Sydney." She nodded and Nadia hugged him next. He also gave her a kiss on the cheek. "You stay safe too, Nadia."

"I will. We'll both stay safe." He gave them both a smile and everyone gathered around. He looked around at them.

"Bring them home." They all nodded and looked around at each other. They kept looking at each other until an agent walked up to them.

"The plane is ready to go." Dixon gave the agent a nod and he left. Dixon looked back at everyone.

"Let's go."

Sydney, Nadia, Vaughn, Eric, Marshall, Dixon, and Chase took one last look at everyone before they walked to the waiting plane. The rest of them stayed behind and stayed at the airstrip until the plane had taken off and they could no longer see it. Kendall turned around and looked at everyone.

"It won't be long now." They nodded. "Let's go home and get some rest. It might be hard but we're going to need it." They nodded again and left the airstrip.

* * *

In Kashmir Irina was getting more and more worried. It seemed to her that it was later in the day than it usually was. Sloane and Cuvee hadn't been by yet, and although she would normally be happy about that, she really wanted them to come and turn on the lights, so that she could see how Jack was doing.

She'd tried talking to him all night, but he hadn't talked back. She hadn't heard any movements from him all night, but a little while ago she could hear the sound of his chains. She didn't know if it had just been because his body had slumped naturally or if he'd done it himself. She hoped that he'd done it himself, but feared that he'd be dead when the lights were turned on. She didn't know what she'd do if he wasn't alive.

Time passed without anyone coming, but Irina still didn't know how much time had passed. For all she knew what felt like an hour to her could really only be ten minutes. She leaned against the wall as fresh tears ran down her cheeks.

A short while later, she finally heard the key in the door, and a few seconds later, the lights were turned on. She looked over at Jack immediately and started crying harder when she saw that he was breathing. Sloane and Cuvee walked into the room a few seconds later and they walked straight over to Jack. Cuvee laughed a little.

"I must admit, I'm impressed. He actually lived through the night." He grabbed Jack by his hair and yanked his head back. Jack opened his eyes a little. "Hello Jack. You know, part of me really wanted to come down here and find you dead. But I'm glad you're still alive. That way you can see me having fun with Irina." He laughed evilly and let go of Jack. Sloane laughed in Jack's face.

"Yes, we're all looking forward to having fun with Irina right in front of you." Cuvee walked over to Irina, grabbed her hair and yanked her head back.

"Crying again, Irina? You really should stop doing that. It's such an unattractive quality on you." She didn't have the strength to talk back to him. He laughed at her. "I was going to have my way with you today, but seeing as we got a little carried away yesterday with torturing Jack, I think I'll wait until tomorrow. After all, I want Jack to be more awake to see me having fun with you." He let go of her and took a few steps back. "In the meantime, let's watch more DVDs." He looked at the guards. "Get everything set up." They nodded.

"Right away, sir." Cuvee turned his head back to Irina.

"Even though Jack might not be able to watch much of the DVDs, you still have to." All she did was nod and he laughed. Sloane joined in the laugh and soon he and Cuvee sat down to watch the DVDs

A while later dinner was brought down, and Cuvee and Sloane continued watching DVDs after they'd eaten. When another DVD ended a while later they turned the TV off and Cuvee got the guards, who came and removed the equipment again. Sloane walked over to Jack.

"I see, you're a little more awake, Jack. Not much though. Too bad, because the DVDs we just watched were really nice. But not as nice as the live show will be tomorrow." He and Cuvee laughed and Cuvee walked over to Irina.

"Yes, the live show will be so nice. So nice." He took Irina's face by her chin and raised it so she looked at him. "I'll be seeing you soon, my dove." He laughed evilly and let go of her head and walked over to Jack. "I do hope you feel better tomorrow, Jack. I'd hate for you to miss the live show." He laughed again, and walked over to Sloane by the door. They looked at Jack and Irina one last time before they turned off the lights and left the room.

When they left, Irina started sobbing. Jack wanted to tell her that he loved her, tell her that nothing Sloane and Cuvee did would change the way he felt about her, tell her something that would make her feel better. But he didn't have any strength in him to say anything. He leaned his head back against the wall, letting the tears roll down his cheeks, felt completely helpless and in some way wished that there would be no tomorrow.

**TBC**


	24. Chapter 24

**SofiaBlackBristow:** I'm sorry I made you cry, but at the same time I can't help but feel honored that my story had that effect on you. *blush* Yes that's exactly what Cuvee is and he most certainly deserves to die. Thank you so much for saying that. :-) Time will tell if you'll hear from the triplets again. Kiss to you too. I'll do the best I can. Thank you for reading and commenting - it means so much. :-)

**Rishka Derevko:** Thank you for loving my story. :-) Are you sure Cuvee and Sloane are in trouble? Just because rescue seems near and Jack lived through the night doesn't mean that things still can't go horribly wrong. *devil* Thank you so much for saying that - I feel so honored. *blush* I don't like to reveal things, but just so you're on the safe side - buy more Klennex. Thank you for reading and commenting - it means so much. :-)

* * *

**Chapter 24**

Jack sat in the darkness waiting for the inevitable. He had no idea what time it was, but for once he sought comfort in the darkness. He was more conscious than the day before, and was now more aware of how much in pain he was. But the pain in his body was nothing compared to the pain he would be in, when he had to see Cuvee having fun with Irina. He wanted to stay strong, but strength was something he didn't have much of. Neither physical strength, nor psychological strength.

Irina had lost the ability to stay strong. The only comfort she could find at the moment was that Jack was still alive. They hadn't really spoken during the night, but she was relieved whenever she'd heard him groan now and again. However, at the same time she was worried about him. She knew that with that much torture and with his injuries before he was tortured, he had to be in terrible pain and in badly need of medical attention. She was about to talk to him, but the door was opened and she froze.

Two guards stepped in and turned on the lights. A few seconds later Cuvee and Sloane stepped into the room as well, and Cuvee walked straight over to Irina. She was looking down in the ground. Cuvee grabbed her by the hair and yanked her head back, so that she would look at him.

"Hello Irina. Today's the big day. Have you been looking forward to this as much as I have?" She remained silent and tried her best to give him her death glare. He merely laughed in her face and shrugged. "Well, maybe you haven't and maybe you won't enjoy it at first. But I assure you that I will enjoy it." He kept a hold of her hair, and looked over at Jack, who tried his best to give Cuvee his death glare too. "Ah, Jack. I see that you're more awake than yesterday. I'm glad, because I really didn't want to put my fun with Irina off for another day." He laughed again. "You know, I'm almost going to enjoy having my fun with Irina in front of you as much as I'll be enjoying the act itself." He looked over at Sloane and gave him a nod. Sloane turned and looked at the guards.

"You can bring it in now." The guards nodded back.

"Right away, sir."

One of the guards stepped out of the room, and a few seconds later he returned with two other guards, who were carrying a desk.

"Where do you want us to put the desk, sir?" Cuvee let go of Irina's hair and gestured to the end of the room.

"Put it down over there." They did as they were told and left when the task was done. Cuvee walked over to the desk and ran his hand over the surface before looking back at Irina. "Remember this desk, Irina?" He then looked over at Jack. "It should be familiar to you too, Jack. After all, you've seen it on the DVDs. Incredible that this desk wasn't destroyed in the airstrikes." He ran his hand over the surface again and then laughed. "This sure brings back a lot of fond memories. Wouldn't you agree, Irina?" Irina was looking down in the ground with her face turning as much away from Cuvee as she could. Sloane laughed.

"And a lot of new memories will be created on that desk." Cuvee nodded.

"Yes, indeed. A lot of memories." He walked over to Irina and stood in front of her. "But until that happens, I though that I'd just leave the desk down here for a while. That way you can start to get used to the idea, and think back to how the surface felt against your naked skin." He laughed. "I'll see you later, Irina. It'll be after lunch, and you'll be my dessert. I think I'll have an early lunch today, because I can hardly wait to have you." He walked over to the door with Sloane, and then looked back at Jack. "It won't be long now, Jack." He laughed and he and Sloane left the room.

Jack looked over at Irina but she was still looking down in the ground.

"Ir…Irina." His voice was still not that strong, and he had to swallow a few times. "Iri…Irina." She shook her head slightly.

"It's no use, Jack. We can't stop it, so we might as well accept it." She started to cry and he leaned his head against the wall, and let her have her space.

* * *

At the rescue team's hideout just before noon, Sydney's phone rang. She looked at the number and then around everyone else.

"It's Sark." Dixon looked at his watch.

"Right on time." He gave Marshall a nod, and he hooked the phone up to speakers before Sydney answered it.

"Hello?"

"_Hello, it's Julian. I'm just about to walk over to the arranged meeting point. I've heard nothing from Sloane or Cuvee indicating that the meeting is rescheduled. The meeting will be very briefly. I'll get the documents, and he'll get his money. I will then call you when I'm out of his sight, and when I'm at a safer location I'll burn the documents and send you the video of that."_

"You better destroy those documents fast. We strike around 1.00, and it'll take us twenty minutes to get to the prison from our current location."

"_I should be able to be at a safe location for burning the documents around 12.30. It'll then only take a few minutes from the minute I start burning the documents until you have the video of it. And then you should have enough time to be able to keep your schedule."_

"Good. We better hang up now, so that you're not late. Good luck."

"_Thank you. I'll call you in a few minutes."_Sark hung up and Dixon looked around at everyone.

"It's started. Not long now until we strike." They all nodded and stood around waiting for Sark to call again.

A couple of minutes later, Sydney's phone rang again.

"Yes?"

"_Everything went according to plan. I have the documents and I'm on my way to destroy them now. I'll hurry as much as I can. I'll be in touch in about twenty to twenty-five minutes."_

"Talk to you then."

"_Bye."_ Sark hung up again, and Dixon got in touch with the people back at APO on his comms, who'd been listening in on the conversations with Sark.

"Base Camp I assume you all heard everything?"

"_Yes, loud and clear."_

"Good. You have about twenty minutes to relax in. Take a walk, get a cup of coffee, go to the restroom."

"_We will. You make sure to stay relaxed too. Talk to you soon."_

"Yeah. We'll get in touch when Sark calls back and has sent us the video."

* * *

Back at APO Kendall walked out of the meeting room with Katya, Carrie, and Rachel.

"Everyone listen up." Everyone turned their attention to Kendall. "Sark has at present moment obtained the documents. In about twenty minutes he'll be calling back to tell us that he's destroyed the documents and he'll provide us with a video of that. You have twenty minutes starting now to go to the restroom, to get a cup of coffee, or to just relax. The minute Sark calls back you will not have a second to rest until we have secured the Bristows. Is that understood?" Everyone nodded and Kendall set his watch. "Twenty minutes starting now." He turned around and looked at Katya, Carrie, and Rachel. "The same goes for the three of you." They nodded.

"I think I'll just get myself a cup of coffee and then go to the restroom after. Anyone care to get a cup of coffee too?" They all looked at Carrie and Rachel nodded.

"Yeah that sounds like a good idea." She looked at Katya. "What about you, Katya?"

"Sure that sounds like a good idea." Rachel looked at Kendall.

"Kendall?" He nodded.

"I'll get a cup, but I think I'll just take mine with me. I want to take a look at everything to make sure everything is as it should be before it all goes down." She nodded back and the four of them went to the coffeemaker.

* * *

In the prison in Kashmir around 12.30 Cuvee and Sloane had just finished eating lunch. Sloane wiped his mouth with his napkin and then picked up his glass of wine. He looked at Cuvee.

"So, I guess we should talk about who gets to have his way with Irina first." Cuvee looked over at Sloane and cocked an eyebrow at him. Then he laughed.

"There's nothing to discuss, Arvin. Irina is mine and mine alone." Sloane gave Cuvee a stern look.

"I came to you with the idea that we should kidnap Jack and Irina, but I agreed that we were equal partners in this, and that I didn't control you or called the shots. We had an agreement, Gerard, and I expect to get my share." Cuvee continued to laugh.

"Yes, I did and you do get your share. You get the kids and I get Irina. That's a fair trade."

"You don't want the kids and that's your problem, but I want Irina too, and I'm going to get her just as much as you. We had a deal." Cuvee shook his head laughing.

"Well, Arvin, you should know that I can't really be trusted."

"Damn it, Gerard, we had a deal. You're not going to stop me from having my way with Irina. We're in this together and I will get my share." Cuvee leaned forward in his chair and gave Sloane an icy look.

"You've already had her. You had her before I did. I wanted her before she left for America, but higher ranking officers wouldn't let me have her. They wanted her to remain a virgin and for her to save herself for her mark. I thought that once she'd been with Jack, she'd come running to me, but she turned me down. She said that Jack would surely catch on if she slept with another man. She came up with a pathetic excuse saying that she might not have time to shower if he paid her a surprise visit in her apartment before they lived together. And once they finally did live together, she used the same excuse. She even turned me down when he was on mission, saying that he would find out that she had been with another man, and that she couldn't risk anything going wrong with the assignment. So I reluctantly backed off, but as you've seen on the DVDs, I took full advantage of her once I had her to myself." He took a sip of his wine. "You might've thought you had her twice, and you might wish to get back at her for cheating you out of the first time you thought you'd slept together. But you don't get to have her and that's final." He took another sip of his wine and put the glass back down. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to get my dessert now." He got up and walked towards the door. As he passed Sloane he got up too and grabbed Cuvee by the arm.

"You can't do that to me. I want her too. I want to have my way with her." Cuvee looked back at Sloane with murderous eyes.

"Let go of me." Sloane shook his head.

"No, not until you let me have what I want." Cuvee wrestled out of Sloane's grip with ease, and grabbed him by the throat. Sloane stumbled backwards a little, but Cuvee kept him in place.

"You might've been grand once, Arvin, but your glory days are over." He laughed. "How do you expect to have your way with Irina, anyway, when you can hardly stand on you leg?" He gave his injured knee a kick, and Sloane winced in pain as much as he could with Cuvee's hand on his throat. "You're pathetic, Arvin. Now sit back down and take care of your knee and bruised ego." He let go of Sloane, walked towards the door and turned back before walking out. "Don't come to the basement, if you know what's good for you. Do something else to occupy your time. Feel free to watch some of the DVDs again. Speaking of DVDs, I think I'll just take one with me. It's a real turn on to watch me having fun with Irina on screen while I'm having fun with her in real life." He left laughing leaving an angry Sloane behind.

* * *

At the rescue team's hideout, Sydney's phone rang again.

"Yes?"

"_I'm sending you the video of me destroying the documents as we speak." _Marshall immediately went to check the email, and nodded a few seconds later when he'd received the email.

"Got it. We're going to look at it now." Everyone gathered around the computer and concluded that the documents were genuine. Dixon moved closer to the phone.

"I must admit that I'm hesitant to do this, but you came through for us, so tha…"

"_No don't. I don't deserve your thanks. With everything I've ever done to you, you certainly don't need to thank me. Just get to the prison and get Irina, Jack, and the triplets out safely, and get Sloane and Cuvee. That's all I want."_

"We'll do our very best."

"_Good luck. Bye."_ Sark hung up the phone and Dixon got in touch with Kendall over his comms.

"Are you ready?"

"_Absolutely. Let's get this over with and bring our family home."_

"We'll be in touch. We're leaving for the prison in a few seconds." He got off the comms and looked around at everyone. "It's time people. We're leaving for the prison right now. Everyone get to the cars." They all nodded and walked out to the waiting cars.

Before everyone got in Chase stopped them.

"Everyone listen up for a second." They all turned and looked at her. "The most important part of this mission is to get Jack, Irina, and the triplets back safely. If you fail to do that there will be hell to pay. Is that understood?" Everyone nodded. "We can't afford for anything to go wrong, so you know that your orders are shoot to kill. If you can get Sloane and Cuvee alive, then that would be best. But it won't be a great loss if you don't." She took one last look around everyone looking everyone in the eye. "Move out." They all got in the cars and drove off.

* * *

Back at the prison the door to Jack and Irina's room was opened and Cuvee walked in. He walked straight over to Irina and smirked at her.

"It's time, Irina." She flinched at his touch and he laughed. "Well, it's almost time. I'm just going to bring in the TV and DVD-player so that I can watch me having fun with you on screen, while I also have fun with you right here." He walked over to one of the guards. "Set it up."

"Yes, sir." The guards left to get the equipment and Cuvee walked over to Jack.

"Are you ready for the live show, Jack?" Jack gave Cuvee his death glare, but Cuvee merely laughed in return. When the guards returned Cuvee looked at one of them. "Give me your rifle."

"Yes, sir." Irina froze and feared what Cuvee had in mind. When Cuvee got the rifle he looked back at Jack.

"I just thought, I'd have a little fun with you before I have my fun with Irina." He hit Jack in the stomach with the butt of the rifle a few times and Jack winced in pain. Then he hit him twice in the head and Jack fell further down in his place. Cuvee laughed again. "Well that was fun, but let's get on with the real fun." He gave the guard his rifle back and looked at them. "Set up the equipment."

The guards set up the equipment and took their time doing so. In the mean time Cuvee was running his hand over the surface of the desk. When they were done, they looked at Cuvee.

"Done, sir." He smiled

"Good. Now I need your help with her." He pointed at Irina and some of the guards picked up the rope, they'd brought with them. He walked closer to Irina and looked at her. "Will you be a good little girl and let these nice men unchain you, so that they can tie you to the table?" She gave him her death glare.

"Go to hell, Gerard." He got mad and slapped her hard across the face.

"I guess not." He reached his hand out behind him without looking at the guards. "Give me a rifle." One of the guards stepped forward and handed Cuvee his rifle. Cuvee then hit Irina in the stomach several times with the butt of the rifle and once in the face. He handed the guard his rifle back and smirked. "I guess that ought to do it." He looked back at the guards. "Unchain her and tie her to the table."

Jack moved a little in his place and wanted to strangle Cuvee. But he was slightly distracted by the pain in his butt. Something was poking his butt and he was able to reach down in his back pocket to see what was making him uncomfortable. When he got a hold of the item and took it out of his pocket, he felt it and a few seconds later he realized what it was. It was the hairpin that hadn't been able to stay in Maddie's hair on the day when he last saw her. He had forgotten all about taking it out of his pocket when the triplets had been kidnapped that same day, and he hadn't realized that he had been wearing the same pants the day he and Irina were kidnapped as the day the triplets were kidnapped.

Jack looked over at Irina and saw the guards unlocking her chains and grabbing her. He didn't have much strength, but he knew that he had to try to see if he could get his chains open. If he succeeded he might have an opening to try and take out Cuvee. He knew that it was probably a long shot, and with his limited strength it was a suicidal mission. But if it was the last thing he did in life, he would try and stop Cuvee from hurting Irina.

When the guards grabbed Irina she tried to wrestle away from them, but with Cuvee just having hit her she didn't have much strength, and it would've been pointless anyway. They had a strong hold of her and held her out to Cuvee.

"How do you want us to tie her down?"

"I want her on her back. Her arms go over her head with her wrists tied to the table legs. Bend her legs at the knees with the rope around her ankles and tie them to the table legs. I want her ass at the end at the table, so that I'm in full control of her and can go as fast and hard as I want." The guards nodded.

"Understood, sir. What about her clothes?"

"I'll get rid of those myself."

"Yes, sir."

The guards did as they were told. While they were doing that, Jack was doing his best to try and unlock his chains with the help of the hairpin. He had a feeling that Cuvee wouldn't want the guards in the room while he had his fun, and he knew that would be his opening, if he could unlock the chains. He still had some time, but also figured he didn't have much, so he worked as fast as he could without being noticed.

* * *

Outside the prison the rescue team had arrived and had spread out. Dixon got on his comms with the rest of the teams.

"Team one in position. Team two what's your status?"

"_In position and waiting your command."_

"Team three?"

"_In position and waiting your command."_

"Team four?"

"_In p__osition and waiting your command."_ Dixon got in touch with the team back at APO.

"Base Camp how is the situation looking?" Kendall's voice came in on comms.

"_According to the map of where the security monitors are, there are still some guards looking at them. Hang on, I think we're about to get an opening."_ Kendall watched the guards walking away from the security monitors. _"Set the security monitors to go into a loop now." _

Dixon got in touch with Marshall, who was still sitting in the van from where he'd set the security cameras to go around in a loop, so that the rescue team wouldn't be noticed on the monitors.

"Marshall, did you get that?"

"_Yes, and…..done."_

"Base Camp, any sign of the guards being suspicious?"

"_They're returning to the security monitors now. Let's give them a few seconds." _They waited around for a few seconds and Kendall got back on the comms. _"They haven't noticed anything."_

"Good. What's the current status?"

"_There are twenty-six guards patrolling the grounds outside. Seven at the front and back, and six on each side of the prison. There are five guards in the room with the security cameras, fourteen guards in the living room area, five guards standing guard outside of the room the triplets are in, two in the bedroom in the right corner facing the front on the same floor as the office, four in the kitchen, and one in the office. And there are six people in the room that Jack and Irina are in."_ He took a deep breath. _"Jack and Irina have just been beaten, and at the moment it seems like Irina is being tied down to something. I have a feeling that something very horrible is about to happen, so you really need to get them out right now."_ He heard the intake of sharp breaths, which he could only assume belonged to Sydney and Nadia.

"You're our eyes, so we're only waiting on the word 'go' from you."

"_Go."_ Dixon got on comms with all the teams.

"You heard him. All teams move in."

* * *

In the basement the guards were done tying down a crying Irina.

"What are you orders, sir?"

"Leave. I don't want any of you in here while I have my fun. And don't stay close to the room. Go far away." He laughed. "It's not like I'll be needing any of you anyway."

"Yes, sir."

They nodded and when they left, Cuvee walked over to the TV, picked up the remote control and turned on one of the DVDs with him having fun of Irina. When he'd done that, he walked over to Irina and got his knife out. He ran the tip of the blade up and down her body while he licked his lips.

"You know, Irina, perhaps I should think about kidnapping Sydney and Nadia too. I wouldn't mind finding out if they're as good as their mother. They certainly are just as beautiful." He took a hold of her shirt and slit it open with his knife and then groped her breasts with his free hand. "Let's get rid of the bra. It's just in the way." He ripped the bra open with the knife and groped her naked breasts for a while. "Now, let's get the rest of your clothes off."

* * *

In Sloane and Cuvee's office two guards walked in quickly and Sloane looked at them confused.

"What is it?"

"Sir, we've just spotted Sydney and Michael Vaughn accompanied by five guards close to the front entrance."

"What? Why didn't the security team spot them on the security monitors?"

"The security monitors aren't showing any irregularities. They must have sent the signal into a loop or something."

Sloane shook his head furiously and walked over to the safe. He unlocked it and took out what he thought was the documents. He looked through them and gaped when he noticed the blank sheets of paper there and not the documents. He let out a frustrated grunt.

"Sark." He looked at the guards. "We're leaving and fast." He walked over to the computer and the guards looked at each other confused and then back at Sloane.

"Should we inform Mr. Cuvee?"

"No. Mr. Cuvee has chosen not to share certain things with me, so I don't find it necessary to share this information with him. He's on his own. And the fewer people who escape, the better."

"What about Sark? He's coming back tonight with the last documents."

"No, he isn't. The documents that were already here are no longer in the safe, so I can only conclude that Mr. Sark has betrayed us. Which I can only assume is why the CIA is here. We have to assume that he's given them all information about this place, including the satellite readings. But there's a way to change that." He looked at the guards. "Get the team of guards from the security room and the guards from the kitchen. Do it fast but discreetly. I don't want to draw attention to any of the other guards."

"Understood, sir."

"Get to the cars as fast as you can." They nodded and left. Sloane typed in a bunch of keys and smirked. "Let's see you trying to find me now." He kept smirking and left the office.

* * *

Everyone at APO gaped when they lost the satellite readings. Kendall shook his head frustrated and got on the comms with everyone in Kashmir.

"We lost the satellite readings. They must be on to us."

"_What? How the hell did that happen?"_

"We don't know. Like we just told you, two guards entered the office after one of them returned from the security room. It seems like the person already in the office walked over to the safe and then over to the computer, and a few seconds after the guards left we lost the satellite readings."

"_What the hell are we supposed to do now? It'll be like stumbling around in the dark."_

"Yeah, I know." He ran his hand over his head and Katya got on comms with everyone.

"Everyone listen up. Things haven't changed that much. No one left the kitchen, the living area, and no one left their position outside of the triplets' room. I think we can assume that the person in the office was Sloane and that he's going to escape. What we don't know is how many guards he'll be taking other than the two, who were in the office. But one of those guards was also in the security room, and both guards left the office just before we lost the signal. So we have to assume that maybe the guards in the security room will go with Sloane. We know that the cars are at the back of the building, so be prepared that Sloane will come from that exit." Dixon got on comms with Katya.

"_We have taken the guards out on this side, but will wait to see if any of the guards are coming out of the garage."_

"Good. Now team three, what's your position?" Nadia came on the comms.

"_We've taken out the guards on our side, and are moving inside. We're by the door and will proceed to the room the triplets are in."_

"Be careful and good luck. Team two, what's your status?" Sydney came on comms.

"_We're by the entrance and will proceed inside to the basement."_

"Good. Be careful and good luck. And team four?"

"_Just getting our foot inside and will move towards the living area."_

"Good. Be careful and good luck to you, too."

Kendall looked over at Katya and sighed a little in relief.

* * *

At the back of the building the garage opened and team one got ready to strike. The minute the guards came into sight they started to fire. The guards quickly picked up their weapons and fired back. The rescue team took cover and fired from a safe distance. Sloane came into view and Marshall moved around from his hiding and fired his gun. One of his bullets hit Sloane in his already injured knee and he fell down only a few feet away from the car door. The guards noticed Sloane on the ground.

"Get him into the car."

Two of the guards helped Sloane into the car and another slipped into the driver's seat while everyone else, fired back. The car took off with Dixon and some of the other member's of the rescue team shooting at the car. Dixon got in touch with Kendall over the comms.

"Sloane's getting away and we can't stop him. The car is bulletproof."

"_You need to get Marshall to the computer in the office as fast as you can."_

"We'll do our best, but with the shooting we're bound to cause attention."

"_Just do the best you can."_

* * *

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Outside the room the triplets were in Nadia and Eric's team had taken out the last of the guards, and Nadia came in on comms.

"The guards are down. Checking to see if the door is in anyway trapped." She along with another team member checked the door while Eric got the key from one of the guards. "It's clean." Kendall spoke to her.

"_Then get them out of there."_

Eric opened the door as quickly as he could, and when they entered they saw that the triplets froze by the sudden unknown intrusion. They were still blindfolded and tied up and Nadia gasped a little before she, Eric, and the rest of the team ran to their rescue.

"Maddie, Caitie, and Ethan, it's Nadia and Eric."

"NADIA." The triplets started to cry.

"Help us."

"We will. We're here to take you home." Nadia took their blindfolds off, while Eric and some of the others removed the ropes. The triplets cried even harder when they saw their sister.

"It's really you."

"Yes, it's really me." The second they were free of their ropes, they threw their arms around their sister, and she threw her arms around them hugging them tightly and kissing them. Eric joined in the hug and sighed in relief.

"We finally got you." They looked back at him and were glad to see him too.

"Listen." The triplets turned back towards Nadia. "Mom and dad have been kidnapped too, and we have to help get them out." The triplets gasped at the sound of their parents being here too. "I need you to go with these men. You're safe with them, and they'll protect you. Okay? Can you do that for me?" They nodded a little.

"Yes." She smiled.

"Good." She gave them another kiss and then looked at the other team members. "Make sure the coast is absolutely clear before you leave with them.

"We will." Nadia nodded and she and Eric got up and left the room.

* * *

In the meantime in the room Jack and Irina were in, they and Cuvee were oblivious to what was going on in and out of the prison, due to the room being pretty soundproofed. Cuvee had now removed all of Irina's clothes and put the knife back in his pocket. He ran his hand up and down her body and squeezed her breasts hard. He then walked over to Jack.

"I'm not going to wait any longer. As you can see, I'm ready for her. All I need to do is to remove my clothes." He laughed in Jack's face. "You know the rules, Jack. You look, or I kill Irina. Understood?" Jack gave him his death glare.

"Yes." Cuvee continued to laugh and turned his back to Jack.

A few seconds after Cuvee walked away from Jack, he was finally free of his chains. The hairpin had worked and he sighed in relief. He knew that this was his shot to overtake Cuvee, but also knew that his strength was limited and that this could end very badly. But he also knew that he had to try to fight Cuvee.

Cuvee was blocking Irina's sight, so that she couldn't see Jack and that gave Jack the element of surprise. Had she been able to see him, she might have given him away. Even the slightest movement with her eyes would be enough to alert Cuvee about something being off.

Jack slowly got in a squatting position. He could feel the pain shooting through his body and he took a deep breath and prepared himself to attack Cuvee. The minute Cuvee started to pull his shirt over his head, he saw his opening and charged at him trying to get his gun. Cuvee stumbled forward a bit, and Irina watched as much as she could and was shocked that Jack was free.

However, Jack didn't have enough strength and Cuvee easily elbowed him in the stomach. That resulted in Jack letting go of Cuvee, and Cuvee put his shirt back on and turned around. He then punched Jack in the stomach a few times, and then a few times in the face, which sent Jack to the ground. Cuvee laughed at him.

"I'm impressed, Jack. I don't know how you got free, but I'm impressed. But you really are a fool, if you thought you could overpower me in your weaken state. I really wanted you to see me having fun with Irina, but I just don't want to tie you back up again. Nor do I wish to call the guards and have them do it." He took out his gun, took the safety off, and pointed it at Jack. "Say goodbye to your husband, Irina."

"NO, GERARD, NO. PLEASE DON'T KILL HIM. DON'T KILL HIM." She looked at Jack. "I LOVE YOU, JACK. I LOVE YOU." The tears were rolling down her cheeks, and Jack was crying too.

"I love you too, Irina. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." Cuvee shook his head frustrated.

"You two make me sick." He then fired twice and shot Jack in the chest. Jack fell down completely and Irina shook her head furiously.

"NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO." Jack had trouble breathing and he tried his best to focus on Irina.

"Lo….love…..y….y….."

Cuvee fired another shot to Jack's chest and Jack stopped moving. He stood watching Jack for a few seconds and then walked closer to him. He kicked at him to see if he was really dead, and when Jack still didn't move, he laughed. Then he threw the gun on the ground, threw his clothes on the ground too, so that he was completely naked and walked over to the desk standing by Irina's feet. She was sobbing and her whole body was shaking. He just laughed evilly.

"Are you ready for a little reeducation, Irina?"

**TBC**


	25. Chapter 25

**SofiaBlackBristow:** You have to read to find out what happens with Jack. Yes, Cuvee certainly needs to suffer. Yes, things don't look too good for Irina, but time will tell what happens. I'm sorry I made you cry, but I still can't help but feel honored. Kiss to you too. Thank you for reading and commenting - it means so much. :-)

**Rishka Derevko:** Oh yes. But time will tell what happens. Thank you for reading and commenting - it means so much. :-)

**Ms. Bristow:** Is Jack dead? Yeah, I am rather evil - muhahahahahaha. Thank you for reading and commenting - it means so much. :-)

* * *

**Chapter 25**

Cuvee took a hold of Irina's thighs and was just about to push her towards him, when two shots were fired. Cuvee froze. He looked down at himself and saw blood running down his chest. He stumbled and took a few steps back and slowly turned around. He stared a little wide eyed when he saw Jack resting his one arm on his elbow for support and with the other arm he was holding the gun in his hand, which was trained on him.

The minute Cuvee had turned around after stripping out of his clothes, Jack had opened his eyes. Although he was still alive, he could feel that he was running out of time. He saw Cuvee's gun lying right beside him, and he was relieved that Cuvee hadn't shot him in the head or in the heart. He knew he had to try to stop Cuvee from hurting Irina, even if it killed him. When he saw Cuvee walking closer to Irina he pulled all his strength together, rolled on his side, took the gun and pulled himself up on his elbow for support. With what little strength he had left, he gripped the gun as tightly as he could, focused on Cuvee so that he wouldn't hit Irina, and then fired twice as fast as he could, so he could stop Cuvee before he even got the chance to get his way with her.

The moment Cuvee turned around Jack gave him his death glare. His hand was shaking, but he knew he had to use the last of his strength to finish Cuvee off completely. He gripped the gun even tighter and locked eyes with Cuvee.

"Ha….han…hands….o…off…._mmmmy…wife_."

Cuvee took a small step towards Jack, and Jack fired the gun shooting Cuvee again, and he kept firing the gun putting bullets into Cuvee's body until he fell, face first into the ground. When Cuvee fell, Jack let the gun fall out of his hand, and fell back himself exhausted and drained of strength.

Irina was relieved that Jack was still alive and that he'd shot Cuvee, but at the same time she was terrified about his condition. She pulled herself together and raised her head up as much as she could, so that she could look at him. She cried even harder when she saw how weak he was looking.

"Jack. Jack. Sweetheart, look at me. Please look at me." He slowly rolled his head to the side, and tried his best to focus on her. "Hold on, sweetheart. Hold on." He swallowed a few times and coughed a few times.

"I….d..d…don't….thi….think…I…ca…ca..ca…can."

"Jack, you have to. Do you hear me? You have to." He closed his eyes.

"I…I'm…sor..sor…sorry. I….lo…love….love…..y…you."

"No, Jack, no. Stay with me. Stay with me, Jack." She heard him fighting to breathe. "SOMEBODY HELP. HELP. PLEASE SOMEBODY HELP US."

A few seconds later Sydney, Vaughn, and five other agents burst through the door with their rifles raised. They stood dead in their tracks for a second and gasped at the sight.

"DAD. MOM." Irina raised her head the best she could and could see Sydney.

"Sydney? You're here?"

"Yes, mom, we're here."

"Help your father. Please help your father." Vaughn and Sydney rushed to Jack's side with two of the agents, while one checked on Cuvee, and the last two kept a look out at the door.

"Dad. Dad, can you hear me? It's Sydney. We're here, dad. We're here to take you home. Hold on, dad. Please hold on." Jack opened his eyes a little and smiled a little too.

"Sy….Sydne…Sydney." She smiled at him through her tears.

"Yeah, dad, I'm here." She took his hand. He swallowed and tried his best to focus on Sydney.

"Lo….lo…love….y…y….y…you. Hhhh…he…help…..y…your…..mmmmoott….mother."

"I love you too, dad. Just hold on." She got up, while Vaughn put pressure to his wounds and got on comms with everyone else.

"Get the medics to the basement right now. Jack's been shot three times in the chest, and it doesn't look good. Hurry."

"_They're on the way."_

Sydney got her knife out and cut the ropes. Irina was sobbing.

"You're here. You're really here." Sydney cut the last of the ropes, put the knife away, and took off her jacket.

"Yes mom, we're really here." She helped Irina to sit up.

"Your sisters and brother?"

"They're safe. Nadia and Eric got to them." She put the jacket around her mother. "Here put this on." Irina quickly put the jacket on and then hugged Sydney tightly. Then they looked at each other, and Irina kissed Sydney all over the face.

"You're really here."

"Yes." Sydney was a little hesitant with the question she had for her mother. "Uh mom, did…uh did Cuvee hurt you?" She shook her head.

"No, your father stopped him in time." Then she looked at Jack and gasped. "Jack." She jumped off the table, but her legs were shaky, so Sydney put her arm around her to give her support.

"Easy, mom." They hurried as much as they could to get to Jack's side, and they both knelt down beside him. Irina took Jack's hand, and he opened his eyes a little again. She gripped his hand tighter.

"Don't give up, sweetheart. The triplets are fine, and I'm fine, so you have to be fine too. Do you hear me? Don't give up."

"I'mmmm…..sor…so….sorr…sorry…bbbbbbut….I….ddd…don…don't….thhhinnk…I…ca…ca…ca.."

"Don't say that, Jack. Don't you dare say that. You're not the kind of person to give up, so don't start now. Please hold on. You have to hold on." She shook her head frustrated. "We're the hell are the medics?" Just then Nadia and Eric came running into the room. They too stood dead in their tracks for a second and gasped.

"Mom. Dad." Nadia rushed to her parents' side, while Eric turned to one of the agents standing guard outside the door.

"Get a couple of blankets or sheets or something like that." The agent nodded and left, while Nadia hugged her mother and then looked at her father.

"Dad, the medics are on their way. Just hold on." He opened his eyes a little again, and tried to focus on Nadia. He smiled a little again.

"Hhhhhiiii……I…..lo…lov…love…yyyyou." She didn't bother trying to dry her tears.

"I love you too, dad. But you can't give up. Do you hear me? You have to listen to us. Please dad, don't give up."

"T..t….te….tell….th…the….tri…tr…trip….triplets….th…tha…that…I…lo..love…the..them…and….t…t…tell…mmmm….mmmmy…gggg…ggrrrannkkkids….tt…ttttt…tttoo." Irina, Sydney, and Nadia all shook their heads.

"No, Jack. You're going to tell them that. You're going to watch the triplets grow up, and you're going to spoil the grandkids rotten."

"Only you can tell them that, dad."

"Yes dad, they need to hear it from you." Just then the medics arrived.

"Jack, the medics are here. They're going to help you, and you're going to be just fine. So just hold on." Vaughn moved aside, so that the medics could take over, and the agent, Eric had sent off returned with two blankets. Eric went over to him and took the blankets.

"Thank you." He then walked back over to Irina and gave her the blankets. "Here. Wrap them around you." Irina was still holding Jack's hand, and couldn't focus on anyone other than him, so Nadia took the blankets from him.

"Mom, you're only wearing a jacket. You need to put one of the blankets around your waist." Irina still didn't move and one of the medics moved around to her side.

"Agents Bristow, I know that you don't want to move away from Director Bristow, but we really need to be on both sides of him, to work on him properly. I have to ask you to move back a little, so that we can have room to work on him." Sydney and Nadia nodded and started to pull Irina back.

"Mom, you have to let them work on dad." Irina nodded through her tears and then looked at Jack giving his hand a squeeze.

"I'll be right over here, sweetheart. You just hold on. Hold on." She let go and let Sydney and Nadia pull her back. Nadia squatted next to her mother.

"Mom, can you stand up for a moment? It's best if you get the blanket around you." Irina nodded slightly.

Nadia stood up and held the blanket out, covering Irina from everyone's sight. Sydney then helped her mother to stand, and together they wrapped the blanket around their mother's waist. They then helped her to sit back down again, and Nadia wrapped the other blanket around Irina's upper body. When Nadia sat back down again, Irina wrapped her arms around her daughters and hugged them tightly.

"Mom, dad's strong. He'll be alright."

"Yes mom. You have to believe that. We all have to believe that."

Vaughn and Eric moved and stood behind Irina, Sydney, and Nadia when Dixon's voice came in over comms.

"_We've taken all the guards down. What's the situation with Jack?"_ Vaughn answered him.

"It's hard to tell. The medics are working on him."

"_I assume that all the guards have been taken care of at your end?"_

"Yes, they're all out."

"_What about Cuvee?"_

"Jack killed him before we even reached the room."

"_I'm glad."_

"Yeah, so are we."

"_I'm getting in touch with Unit Two and have them send the medical aircraft, so that it's ready to take Jack to the hospital, when he's ready to leave."_

"Okay."

"_Marshall and I are going to Sloane and Cuvee's office to see if we can get the satellite readings to work again, so that we can see where Sloane is."_

"Keep us posted."

"_We will, and you do the same about Jack."_

"You got it."

* * *

Dixon and Marshall went to Sloane and Cuvee's office with a hand full of guards. Three of the guards went into the office first to see if it was safe to enter. When they'd checked out the office, they gave Dixon and Marshall the okay to enter. Marshall immediately went to the computer and sat down trying to get the satellite readings to work again. After a few minutes of typing away on the computer, Dixon broke the silence.

"Anything, Marshall?"

"They've done a great job of blocking the signal, but I think, I'll be able to get the satellite readings to work again in a minute or two."

"Good. Hurry as much as you can."

A few minutes more went by before anything happened.

"Hang on. I think I've got it now." Marshall entered a few more keys. "That should do it." He got on comms with APO. "Base Camp, are you receiving satellite readings again?" Kendall came in on comms.

"_Yes, got it. Hang on a sec." _A few moments went by before they heard Kendall again. _"Damn it. There's no sign of Sloane."_

"No sign at all?"

"_None. We've checked everything, but he's no where in sight within the range the satellite has."_

"Damn it." Dixon shook his head frustrated, and got on comms with Chase. "Unit Two, get planes into the air, and have them search the area. He has to be somewhere."

"_We're on it."_ Dixon got back on with APO.

"We're heading to the basement to check on the situation there."

"_Keep us posted."_

"We will." Dixon looked at Marshall and at the other agents. "Let's go."

* * *

In the basement the medics were still working on Jack and Irina, Sydney, Nadia, Vaughn, and Eric were watching helplessly by. When Dixon and Marshall reached the basement, they too stood dead in their tracks for a few seconds before they looked over at Irina and the others. They walked over to them, and that's when Marshall noticed the TV with a DVD playing of Cuvee having fun with Irina. His eyes widened in horror.

"Oh god."

Every, but Irina, looked at him. Sydney and Nadia stood up, and then they all looked in the direction Marshall was looking in. They were all just as horrified as Marshall of what they saw. Sydney and Nadia turned pale and looked away immediately. Dixon and Marshall looked away too, and Vaughn and Eric went and pulled the plug out, and moved the equipment further away. They then walked back to Sydney and Nadia and hugged them. A few seconds later one of the medics looked up at them.

"He's ready to be moved." He looked at Irina. "Agent Bristow, you might want to go and tell the triplets that their father is coming out. They should probably be warned about his condition." Irina only slightly nodded and kept her gaze at Jack. Sydney and Nadia pulled away from Vaughn and Eric and each put a hand on their mother's shoulders.

"Mom, he's right. We should get out and tell the triplets." Irina still didn't move.

"Mom, we know you don't want to leave dad, but he's in good hands. The triplets want to see you, and you should go out and see them too." Irina nodded more and looked up at them.

"Yes, of course." She shook her head and ran her hands over her face. "I can't believe I haven't been to see the triplets yet. It's been so long since I've seen them and held them." She put her face in her hands and started to cry harder again.

"It's okay, mom. They'll understand."

"You had to be here for dad, and they would want you to be."

"Yes, mom. And besides, we haven't been down here that long, and they've been safe and well looked after the time that we've been down here."

"Come on. We'll take you to them now." Irina nodded, and Sydney and Nadia helped her to stand up. They then put their arm around her to support her, and she put her arms around them. Dixon looked at them.

"I'll walk out with the medics. Since they're ready to move Jack, you should probably hurry on up to the triplets and tell them about him." Sydney and Nadia nodded, and then they, Irina,

Vaughn, Eric, and Marshall took one last look at Jack before they left the basement. When they left the room Nadia got on comms with the agents, who'd taken the triplets to safety.

"We're leaving the basement now. Can you bring the triplets out to the front of the building?"

"_Right away, agent Bristow."_

"Thank you."

Irina quickened her pace at the thought of seeing the triplets again. Her body was still shaky, but she had more control of her legs now. They walked in silence, but just before reaching the main entrance to the prison, Irina spoke.

"What's today's date?"

"June 29th."

"It's been twenty-three days since I've seen them. That's more than three weeks." Irina started to cry even harder.

"In a few seconds you'll see them again."

"Yeah, mom. Just a few seconds left." Irina nodded and they hurried a little more.

The minute they were outside, Irina spotted the triplets and they spotted her. They all ran towards each other. Irina squatted down and engulfed the triplets in her arms when they reached each other. Everyone was crying.

"Mommy."

"We missed you."

"Sweethearts, I missed you too. So much."

She held them for a little while longer before looking at them and then raining kisses on their faces. When she'd done that Sydney and Vaughn gave them a hugs and kisses too, and Marshall gave them a hug. Maddie looked at Irina again.

"Nadia said that daddy was here too."

"Yes mommy. Where's daddy?" Irina bit her lower lip and tried to get control of her emotions.

"Daddy's been hurt. He's being looked after and in a few moments he'll be carried out on a stretcher and into the waiting aircraft. He'll need to go to hospital for further treatment." The triplets started sobbing even harder.

"Is he hurt badly?" Irina nodded.

"Yes, he's hurt pretty bad. So you have to be prepared for that when you see him, alright? Can you do that?"

"Yes, mommy."

"Is he going to….to..d..d..die?" Irina started to cry more.

"I don't know. But the important thing to remember is that he's well looked after, and that the people, who are taking care of him know what they're doing." The triplets merely nodded and Irina hugged them again.

A few seconds later Vaughn spotted the medics carrying Jack out. He looked at Irina.

"They're bringing Jack out." Irina looked at him and nodded and moved behind the triplets, hugging them from behind. They gasped at the sight of their father.

"DADDY."

"HOLD ON."

"PLEASE HOLD ON, DADDY."

Irina started to cry even harder of the triplets' pleading cries, and when the medics started to put Jack into the aircraft, they turned around in their mother's embrace and cried.

One of the medics walked over to Irina.

"Agent Bristow, we're just going to get Director Bristow settled, and then you and your daughters can come onboard." She nodded without looking at him, and he looked at Sydney and Nadia. They nodded back at him and he left. Eric looked down at Irina and the triplets and then looked at Nadia.

"I'll be right back." She nodded and he ran after the medic. "Excuse me." The medic turned around.

"Yes, agent Weiss?"

"There are still room for more than just Director Bristow's wife and two oldest daughters, right?"

"Yes, there's room for four more people. Are you and agent Vaughn thinking of flying out with us too?" Eric shook his head.

"No, the triplets will be going with you."

"I'm sorry, but that's out of the question."

"Excuse me? Just why is that out of the question?"

"Director Bristow is badly injured and we still have to work on him and make sure he'll be alright on the flight to the hospital. There's a lot of blood, and I don't think the triplets need to see that."

"What the triplets need is to be around their father. They haven't seen him in more than three weeks."

"But they don't need to see him in this condition."

"They've already seen him in his current condition. Those kids are strong, and they can handle this. And what Director Bristow needs is to have his family around him. It'll be the best medicine for him."

"That may very well be, but I won't allow it. They're not going." Eric snapped.

"Look, you don't have the authority to give me orders. I, on the other hand, have the authority to give you orders. So I'm ordering you to take the triplets on the aircraft. Is that understood?" The medic nodded.

"Yes, sir."

"Good. Let us know when you're ready to leave."

"We're ready to leave in a minute or two, so you should get everyone near the aircraft." Eric nodded and walked back to the others.

"Irina, the aircraft is ready to fly Jack to the hospital in a few minutes, so you need to get to the aircraft. I talked to one of the medics and the triplets can go too." Irina nodded.

"I wouldn't have had it any other way." Eric smiled a little.

"I know." He looked at Nadia and Sydney and they smiled at him, having seen that he was arguing with the medic about letting the triplets on the aircraft. He smiled back. "Come on."

When they got to the aircraft, Dixon walked over to the aircraft too, after having talked to some of the other agents on sight. He gave the triplets a quick hug and then looked around at everyone.

"Vaughn, Eric, Marshall, and I will stay and finish with things here, and then meet you at the hospital." They nodded. "I understand that the triplets are coming with you?" Sydney nodded.

"Yes, they are." He nodded.

"It's certainly for the best."

The medic popped his head out from the aircraft.

"We're ready to leave."

"Okay."

Everyone said a quick goodbye before Irina, Sydney, Nadia, and the triplets got into the aircraft. Vaughn, Eric, Dixon, and Marshall stepped back and watched the aircraft take off. Once the aircraft flew away, Dixon got on comms with Chase.

"Unit Two, the C-4 has arrived and we're ready to place it in the building. What are we supposed to do with Cuvee's body?"

"_Get samples of his blood, hair, and DNA from under his fingernails. We'll compare that to the DNA samples we have of him on file. I don't really have any doubts that this is the real Cuve__e, but I want to make absolute sure that this Cuvee is not some product of Project Helix."_

"And after?"

"_He gets buried with the rest of the bodies."_

"Got it. Unit One out." Dixon looked at all the agents that had gathered around him. "Listen up. Cuvee's body gets buried along with all the other bodies, but we need to make sure that the right Cuvee is dead. I need someone to take DNA samples from under his fingernails and of his hair and blood. I need volunteers to do this."

Vaughn raised his hand.

"I'll do it." Eric raised his hand too.

"I'm in too."

"Me too." Dixon looked at Marshall and nodded at all three.

"The rest of you will bring all the bodies down to the rooms in the basement, and place the C-4 all over the building. Get me when you've all done that, and I'll make a final inspection." All the agents nodded and Dixon looked at Vaughn, Eric, and Marshall. "You'll bring C-4 as well." They nodded too. "Get to work."

* * *

When Vaughn, Eric, and Marshall got back to the room Cuvee was in, they stood looking at him for a few seconds. Then suddenly out of nowhere Marshall pulled out his gun and shot Cuvee twice in the head. Vaughn and Eric stepped back a bit and looked at Marshall in shock of what he'd done.

"Marshall, what the hell was that about?" Marshall looked back at them.

"Marcus said to make sure, Cuvee was dead, right?"

"Yeah."

"Well, I'm just making sure. I know that he has multiple gun shot wounds, and that he's been checked on to make sure he was dead. But if you want to make sure someone's dead, you shoot them in the head." He shrugged. "Maybe it's just in the movies that people are still alive after being shot in their body multiple times. But he could've gotten a gun, hid it, and ended up shooting one or more of us. It's just better to be safe than sorry." Vaughn and Eric exchanged glances and then Vaughn put a hand on Marshall's shoulder.

"Thank you for looking out for us, Marshall." Eric nodded.

"Yeah, thanks man." Marshall smiled a little and put his gun away.

They took the DNA samples and then put the C-4 around the room. Vaughn strapped the last C-4 to Cuvee's body, and now Eric stared at him and Marshall did too. Vaughn looked at them and answered them before they even asked.

"Irina might've killed my father, but Cuvee is responsible too. You both saw the footage of what he had done to her, when she was a prisoner here." They gave a slight nod, not wanting to think more about it. "If he hadn't put her through that kind of torture, had let her keep Nadia, then my father probably wouldn't be dead. Cuvee is a bastard and he needs to pay for what he did to Irina." They nodded and Dixon walked in.

"Are you ready?"

"Yeah, we got the samples and have placed the C-4." Dixon looked at the C-4 strapped to Cuvee. He gave Vaughn an approving nod.

"Let's go."

"Right behind you."

Everyone got in the cars and Vaughn, Eric, Dixon, and Marshall got into a helicopter waiting to take them to the hospital. They all got to a safe distance from the prison and Dixon got on comms with APO.

"Unit One to Base Camp." Dixon could hear that Kendall was emotional.

"_Go ahead Unite One."_

"We're ready to blow up the prison, and then the four of us are heading to the hospital. There's nothing more you can do, so go home. We have people looking for Sloane, and if he's spotted on any satellite readings, we'll get him. Jack will likely be in surgery for hours, so there's no reason for you to sit around and wait for the result. Go home to the kids, and I'll call you when there's any news."

"_Yeah that sounds like a plan. But call the minute there's any news on Jack. We want to be informed."_

"We will. Unit One out."

* * *

Back at APO Kendall, Katya, Carrie, and Rachel watched as the prison in Kashmir got blown up. Carrie and Rachel were crying their eyes out at what had happened to Jack, and his condition. Kendall had been crying too, and started to dry his eyes. He looked over at Katya. She was still looking at the screen but wasn't crying and didn't seem too bothered with the situation. He walked over to Carrie, who had her face buried in her hands.

"Carrie, come here." She stood up and Kendall hugged her. He looked over at Rachel, who had her face buried in her hands too. "You too, Rachel." He hugged her too, and they both cried on his shoulder for a little while. He looked over at Katya. "Katya?" She turned around and as she did, Carrie and Rachel turned their heads, so they could look at Katya. She gave them a reassuring smile.

"We got them out, and Jack's strong. He'll pull through. And as for Sloane, we'll get him just like we got Cuvee." Kendall looked at her in disbelief, while Carrie and Rachel didn't really react much, but started to dry their tears. Kendall looked at them again.

"Let's do as Marcus said and go home." They nodded. "I'll just go and tell everyone." He ran his hand over his face before walking out of the meeting room. Carrie looked at Katya.

"Katya, are you okay?" She smiled at Carrie.

"Yes, I'm absolutely fine." They both eyed her.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes." She stood up and walked over to them. "Everything will turn out just fine, you'll see. Just go home and relax with your kids."

"You want to come with us? You can just leave your car here."

"I have some things to take care of, so you go ahead. I'll come later."

"Okay. See you later then." They hugged and Carrie and Rachel walked towards the door just as Kendall came back in.

"We're leaving." He nodded.

"I'll be there in an hour or so. I'm just going to call Washington and take care of a few things here, and then I'll be on my way."

"See you in a little while."

"Yeah, bye." He hugged both of them and then they left. He looked over at Katya, who tidied up a bit. When she'd done that, she looked back at Kendall, with a slight smile on her face.

"I'm leaving too." She walked passed him and out the door. He stood for a few seconds in the meeting room in disbelief and shook his head. Then he walked out quickly and caught up with Katya. He took her by the elbow and dragged her with him. She got angry. "What do you think, you're doing?" He didn't answer her, but kept dragging her along, and addressed the security guards, when they walked by them.

"We'll be in interrogation room two. Do not disturb us." The security guards looked strangely in Kendall's direction.

"Sir?"

"Just do as I say."

"Yes, sir."

Seconds later Kendall pushed Katya inside the interrogation room and slammed the door. She stared at him angrily and he stared back at her the same way.

"Cry." She looked at him dumbfounded.

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me. Cry." She stared at him angrily again.

"I really think that you should start wearing a hat when you're outside. The sun has easy access to that big, bald head of yours, and obviously it has fried your brain." He didn't let her words get to him and remained just as angry as she was.

"You can't keep staying positive and calm the way you have since the triplets were kidnapped. You need to cry."

"No, I don't. Everyone is safe, and that's something we should smile about. Not cry about."

"Everyone's safe? Jack's been shot and it's really bad. There's no guarantee that he'll make it."

"Jack's strong. He'll pull through just fine."

"You don't know that."

"I choose to believe that, and to stay positive about it. If anything, we need to stay positive and calm and not sit around crying."

"We're allowed to cry about the horrible situation we're in now, and have been in for more than three weeks. You haven't done that, and it's about time you did."

"If you feel the need to cry, then by all means do. But I don't need to cry."

"You can't even shed a few tears for your own family? Your eight-year-old nieces and nephew were kidnapped for more than three weeks. If Sark hadn't been able to fool Sloane and Cuvee, get out of there, and contact us, Sloane would've been able to brainwash the triplets into believing he was their father. They would eventually be calling him 'dad' and not Jack. They wouldn't even remember Jack, and they would believe that Irina abandoned them. And you would never have seen them again."

"You don't know that, so stop saying things like that." He saw her bottom lip slightly tremble. No one would probably have noticed that, but he was looking for it. Instead of backing off, he continued.

"Your sister and brother-in-law were kidnapped by their worst enemies. We all know the hell Cuvee has put Irina through in the past, and he almost raped her again. If Jack hadn't been able to shoot Cuvee, he would've started raping her before Sydney and Vaughn got to the room. They would've probably killed him before he finished, but they wouldn't have been able to stop him before he started."

"Stop talking about that." He noticed her bottom lip tremble a bit more, and he pressed on.

"Jack was almost tortured to death, he was shot, and right now he's fighting for his life. No one knows if he's going to make it. Chances are that he probably won't. And then what happens? What's going to happen to Irina? To the triplets? To Sydney and Nadia? I don't think Irina can cope without Jack. Sure, she'll still have her children to support her, but she might as well be dead if she doesn't have Jack by her side. And Sydney, Nadia, and the triplets won't have their father anymore. Sydney and Nadia might get through it better than the triplets, because they're older. But the triplets are still so young, and I hate to think what's going to happen to them, if they grow up without a father. If Jack dies, Cuvee and Sloane might as well have killed Irina and the triplets. They might as well have taken a gun to their heads and blown their brains out."

Katya immediately broke down sobbing. Her knees buckled and Kendall almost didn't catch her in time before she hit the floor. He pulled her up, and she gripped his shirt, burying her head in shoulder. Her whole body was shaking.

He was surprised by her behavior. He had wanted her to cry, but he hadn't expected her to break down like this. Not really sure on how to handle the situation, he wrapped his arms around her, and hugged her tightly, hoping it would help calm her down.

Several minutes later Katya was still in Kendall's arms crying her eyes out. He hadn't said anything to her, but waited for her to be ready to talk. Several minutes more went by before she said anything.

"She can't lose him. He's the love of her life, and if she loses him, I'm afraid that she'll lose herself. She'll build up walls, and no one will be able to tear them down. He can't die. He just can't die."

"There's a possibility that he will. I don't want to think about it. I would much rather stay positive and in denial, and I agree that we have to stay positive and hope for the best, but at the same time we have to be realistic. If Jack dies, Irina and the kids will need all of our support, and we have to be prepared to give that. It doesn't mean that we can't hurt too. But we at least have to know that there's a chance, Jack won't make it." She slightly nodded.

She continued to cry for a little while longer, but then stopped. She let go of his shirt and stepped out of his embrace, taking a few steps back and turning her back to him. She started to dry her tears.

He was a bit surprised by the change in her reaction. Not thinking she was quite alright, he put a hand on her shoulder. She glanced back at him over her shoulder.

"I'm fine." She shrugged his hand away. He sighed and shook his head.

"You're not fine."

"Yes, I am."

"Katya, it's okay to cry. It's okay to show your emotions."

Without warning she spun around, grabbed a hold of Kendall and pinned him to the table. He was taken aback by her behavior and stared wide eyed at her. She stared angrily at him.

"You will tell no one of what's been going on in here. Do you understand? No one." He started getting angry and tried to get her off, but without success.

"Get off me, Katya."

"Do you understand? No one is to find out about this."

"Yes, I understand. I have no intention of telling anyone. I wouldn't do that to you. Now let me go. Right now." She eyed him for a few seconds and then let him go.

"We will never talk about this again." She walked towards the door, and just when she was about to put her hand on the doorknob, Kendall grabbed her from behind, slammed her against the wall, and pinned her there with his body pressed against her back.

"I warned you the last time you did this to me. I told you that if you ever did something like that again that I wouldn't hesitate to throw you back in jail. I'll let it slide this time giving the situation. But don't ever do that to me again. Not ever. Do you understand?" She didn't answer, so he nudged her. "Do you understand?"

"Yes."

He let go of her and stood by the door, while she walked away from him in the other direction. They stared at each other angrily, and Kendall then shook his head, put his hand on the doorknob and opened the door. He was about to walk out, but sighed and closed the door again. He looked back at her and spoke calmer.

"If you need to talk to someone about anything and you don't feel like you can talk to Sergei, or anyone else, you can call me. Whatever you'd want to talk about would just be between us, just like what went on in here." She stared at him still a bit coldly and gave a nod.

"I told you, I'm fine, so I won't be needing anyone to talk to." He rolled his eyes and shook his head.

"Fine. Suit yourself. See you later." He walked out shaking his head. Katya stayed in the room for a few more minutes gathering herself before leaving too.

* * *

Hours later in Kashmir Jack was still in surgery. Irina and the triplets had been checked out by the doctors, had a shower, a change of clothes that the rescue team brought, and had, had something to eat and drink. They were now in the waiting room, along with Sydney, Nadia, Vaughn, Eric, Dixon, and Marshall. The triplets were sleeping, too exhausted to stay awake from everything that had been going on since they'd been kidnapped, and with everything that was going on now.

Irina was sitting motionless on one of the couches. She hadn't talked much since the triplets had fallen asleep, and she was worried sick about Jack. The others hadn't talked much either since the triplets had fallen asleep, and after a few more moments of silence, Dixon stood up.

"I think, I'll just go to the cafeteria and get some coffee. Should I bring back coffee for everyone?" Sydney, Nadia, Vaughn, Eric, and Marshall nodded and Vaughn looked at him.

"Yeah that sounds nice. Thank you." Dixon nodded and looked at Irina.

"Irina, would you like anything?" She shook her head slightly but didn't look at him.

"No thank you, Marcus." Marshall stood up too.

"I'll help you with the coffee." Dixon nodded and they left.

A few moments more went by in silence, and Sydney stood up.

"I'm a little hungry, so I think I'll just go to the cafeteria." Vaughn stood up.

"I'll come too."

Nadia and Eric exchanged glances. They wanted to get out and stretch their legs too, and get their minds on something else for a little while. But they also didn't want to leave Irina alone. However, Irina picked up on it.

"Nadia, you and Eric should go with Sydney and Michael."

"Mom, we don't want to leave you alone." Irina looked at Nadia, and smiled a little.

"I'll be fine. Besides, it's not like you'll be gone for hours. Just go and stretch your legs for a little while."

"Eric and I can go stretch our legs when Sydney and Vaughn come back."

"Sweetheart, I'll be okay. Really." Sydney and Nadia exchanged glances, and Nadia looked back at Irina.

"Okay mom, if you say so. We won't be gone long." Irina nodded and they left.

* * *

When they got outside Vaughn noticed Chase walking towards them. He nudged Sydney, and when she looked in the direction he did, Nadia and Eric followed their gaze. Sydney sighed.

"I don't want to deal with anything work related now, and I don't want Chase anywhere near mom. Mom doesn't need to be around her right now."

"I'll take care of her."

"Thank you, Eric." Eric nodded and walked off towards Chase. He walked fast, so she wouldn't get too near the waiting room. When they met, Chase was just about to open her mouth to speak, but Eric beat her to it.

"Get lost." Chase stared wide eyed at Eric.

"Excuse me?"

"I said, get lost."

"Look, agent Weiss.."

"No, no, no. Right now, I'm not an agent, and I don't think of you as a director of the CIA. Right now, I'm just plain old Eric, who is worried sick about his father-in-law. And you are the cold hearted witch, who has treated my mother-in-law horribly for the past five years." Chase nodded and spoke kindly.

"I know that I've been a cold hearted witch. I've even been a cold hearted bitch." He raised his eyes a little bit in surprise by her statement. "I'm here to apologize to Irina. I want her to know that the entire CIA is behind her, including me. I'm not doing this to clear my own conscience. It's not like I expect Irina to accept my apology or forgive me. But in case Jack dies, it would be pathetic of me to apologize after he's dead. I know I'm probably the last person Irina wants to see now, but she also needs all the support she can get." He spoke calmer.

"You can't say that." She looked at him confused.

"Can't say what?"

"You can't say that Jack might die. We know how horrible the situation is, and that we should be realistic, but you can't say that Jack might die. Irina doesn't need to hear that. She can't lose him, so you can't say that in front of her."

"Okay. Does that mean that you'll let me see her?" He eyed her and she smiled at him sincerely. "Eric, please. I'm begging you." He sighed and nodded.

"Come on."

"Thank you."

They walked to the waiting room where the other three were waiting for Eric. Sydney and Nadia looked at him, confused as to why Chase was with him. Nadia looked at him.

"Why is she here?"

"She wants to apologize to your mother."

"Nadia. Sydney." They both looked at Chase. "I'm here to give my support to you and your mother. I just want to tell your mother that. I want to tell her how sorry I am for the way I've treated her all these years. I really am truly sorry." They eyed her.

"If you hurt her or in any way upset her…." Sydney left the rest unsaid and Chase nodded.

"If she's upset by my presence, I'll leave immediately. You have my word." Sydney and Nadia exchanged glances, and Nadia nodded.

"You can go see her." Chase smiled sincerely and kindly.

"Thank you."

"We're just going to the cafeteria. We'll be back in a little while." Chase nodded and the others left.

* * *

Chase opened the door to the waiting room. Irina looked up and gave Chase her death glare. Chase spoke softly and kindly.

"Hi. It's good to see you again. I'm so glad that you're safe." Irina didn't say anything. "Can I talk to you?" Irina eyed her for a moment. She then looked at the triplets. They were still sleeping, but so as not to say anything harsh to Chase in front of them, so that she might wake them, she got up from her seat.

"Outside." Chase nodded and they walked out into the hall. Irina closed the door and then crossed her arms across her chest. "What?"

"I don't want this to come across as a pathetic attempt to make up for everything that I've ever done to you, because I know that nothing I say will ever make up for the horrible way I've treated you the last five years. But Irina, I'm truly sorry for the way I've treated you. I've been a total cold hearted bitch, and there's no forgiving that. I just never really thought of you as human given your past. But when the triplets were kidnapped, my eyes were opened and I realized that you were human, because you were so heartbroken. I'm sorry that it took so long for me to see that, and that something so horrible had to happen before I opened my eyes to you. I'm truly sorry. I don't expect you to accept my apology or to forgive me, because I don't deserve that, but I'm here to give you my support. Is there anything I can do for you?"

Irina kept staring at Chase. But a few seconds later she broke down crying. Chase didn't really know what to do. She put her hands on Irina's upper arms in hopes that, that would comfort her. Irina then wrapped her arms around her, and Chase was taken aback a little. Feeling Irina needed to be held Chase wrapped her arms around Irina and hugged her, and comforted her, the best she could.

* * *

Fifteen minutes later everyone else returned. Dixon and Marshall had been told that Chase had showed up, and he was a bit worried about the situation. He and Chase still hadn't talked since he'd found out that she'd accused Irina of being involved with Robin almost getting raped. Everyone else was concerned about the situation too.

They were a bit apprehensive about what they'd see once they got to the waiting room, and as they rounded the corner they stopped dead in their tracks at the sight. Irina was still crying on Chase's shoulder, and Chase was doing her best to comfort her by running a hand up and down her back, and speaking words of encouragement. Everyone exchanged glances. Sydney, Nadia, and Dixon looked at each other and smiled a little.

* * *

A while later everyone was sitting together in the waiting room, waiting for news about Jack. The triplets were awake, but no one was talking to each other. They were all too worried.

Another thirty minutes went by before the doctor walked in. Everyone got up immediately and walked closer to the doctor. No one liked the expression on the doctor's face, and Irina took another step closer to him.

"How's my husband?" He looked at her, then at the triplets, and then back at Irina.

"I think it'd be best if I talk to you in private, Mrs. Bristow. Your oldest daughters are welcome to come too." Irina shook her head.

"No, we're all going to hear what you have to say." He leaned closer to her, and whispered.

"Mrs. Bristow, I really don't think the little ones, should hear this."

"They have been separated from their father for more than three weeks. They've been through hell, so they can handle to hear about their father's condition." He looked down at them, and saw them nodding. "I'm not going to hide anything from them, so you might as well tell us yourself. Just give it to us straight, and don't leave anything out." The doctor sighed and nodded.

"Alright, if that's what you want." He looked Irina straight in the eyes. "Your husband is in critical condition. We've managed to stop the bleeding, and repair the damages to some extent, but he's far from out of the woods. In fact, I don't think he'll ever get out of the woods." Everyone gasped and the doctor took a deep breath. "With all the torture he's been put through, the beating, the gun shot wounds to his chest, being without food and water for so long, and his medical history, it's very unlikely that he'll pull through. He's slipped into a coma, and I don't expect him to ever wake up from it. I expect his condition to deteriorate, and that he'll die within a few days or a week. I'm sorry. I wish, I could bring you better news, but this is his condition."

**TBC**


	26. Chapter 26

**SofiaBlackBristow:** *blush* Wow that's really quite a compliment - I'm very flattered - thank you so much - you're much too kind. *blush* Yes, Jack's family certainly needs him, but will he get better? Kiss to you too. Thank you for reading and commenting - it means so much. :-)

* * *

**Chapter 26**

Everyone stood staring at the doctor without saying anything. The tears then silently started to fall from Sydney, Nadia, and the triplets' eyes. The triplets walked closer to Irina, and she put her arms around them when they reached her. Vaughn put an arm around Sydney and Eric did the same with Nadia. Irina tried to remain in control and looked the doctor straight in the eye.

"My husband has been through a lot in the past. He's very strong. If there's the slightest possibility of him pulling through, he will."

"I don't really believe that there's the slightest possibility that he'll pull through." He sighed. "Mrs. Bristow, I can understand how you feel, but you also have to be realistic. Your husband has been through a great ordeal, and it is really very unlikely that he'll leave this hospital alive. His condition is extremely critical."

"Can we see him?"

"Yes, I'll take you to see him. But before I let you near him, there's something you should know. As I said he's in extremely critical condition. I don't think he'll leave this hospital alive, but if there's to be any hope for him at all he needs all the rest he can get, and are under no circumstances allowed to be subjected to any kind of pressure. We came close to losing him in surgery a few times, and we were worried if he was going to handle the move from the operating room to the room he's in right now." Sydney and Nadia gasped.

"You nearly lost him in surgery?" They doctor looked at Nadia.

"Yes." He then looked between her and Sydney. "That's also one of the reasons why I don't expect him to pull through. He's very weak, and I don't think he has the strength to pull through." He looked back at Irina. "You can see him all you want, and be in his room all you want, but if you'd like to have him around for a few more days, I suggest that you don't touch him, sit on his bed, or do anything that will add pressure." Sydney shook her head sadly.

"We can't even touch him?"

"Not really, but I suppose that light feathery touches, won't really do any harm." Irina nodded and looked at the triplets smiling a little at them.

"We can do all of that, can't we?" They nodded.

"Yes, mommy."

"Of course."

Maddie simply nodded, and Irina squatted down in front of them, gave them each a kiss, and then hugged them.

"Then let's go see daddy." She stood up again, and looked at the doctor. "Please take us to see my husband."

"Follow me."

* * *

They all followed the doctor to the room Jack was in, but just before he opened the door, he stopped and turned to look at them. Irina looked at him curiously.

"What's wrong?"

"I just thought, I should prepare you for what you're about to see. As I've already said, your husband is very weak, and therefore he's very pale and very tired looking. After cleaning him up his bruises are also more noticeable, and his face is very swollen. I'm sure he'll be almost unrecognizable to you." Irina nodded. The doctor nodded back and turned back towards the door and opened it.

Everyone took a deep breath before following the doctor inside the room. Irina's breath got caught in her throat when she saw Jack. He indeed looked to be in very bad condition. The dried blood on his face had hidden how severely his face was bruised, and it broke her to see him this badly injured. She blinked back her tears when she felt Maddie's and Caitie's hands tighten in hers. She looked down at them and at Ethan too, and smiled a little to comfort them. Although she'd cried around them earlier, she also knew she had to be strong for them now.

"Do you want to walk closer to the bed?"

"Would that be okay?"

"It….it…it won't kill him?"

Irina bit back her tears and gave them an encouraging smile squatting down in front of them. She shook her head.

"No, not at all. You heard what the doctor said. We can be in his room all we want." The triplets nodded and the doctor looked at them.

"You're mother's right. You can go as near to him as you want, and sit on chairs right beside his bed. And as I said, you can even give him light feathery touches." The triplets looked at him and nodded.

"Okay." He gave them a small smile and motioned for the bed.

"Go see your father." The triplets slightly nodded, but was still a little hesitant. The doctor gave them a reassuring smile. "It really is okay to go closer to him." Irina looked at them a little concerned.

"Don't you want to take a closer look at daddy?" They nodded.

"Yes, of course mommy, but we're also still scared."

"It's okay to be scared. I'm scared too. We're all scared."

"Yeah, I'm terrified." Everyone looked at Marshall and he gave a weak smile through his tears. Irina smiled in return and then looked back at the triplets.

"See, even uncle Marshall is scared." The triplets nodded and a few seconds later Ethan slowly walked towards Jack's bed. Everyone watched as he walked all the way up to the headboard.

"Hi daddy. I've missed you. We've all missed you." He smiled a little. "But you already know that we've missed you, because we always miss you when you're not around."

Irina had to bite her bottom lip hard to keep the tears from falling. Maddie and Caitie walked closer to their father. Maddie joined Ethan on his side, and Caitie went to stand on the other side of the bed. Sydney and Nadia walked up to stand beside Irina, and each took one of her hands in theirs. She tightened the grip on their hands, swallowed, and then looked at them smiling a little. They both gave her a small smile through their tears before all three walked closer to the bed. Sydney stood behind Ethan and Maddie, and Irina and Nadia walked to the other side and stood behind Caitie. Everyone else gathered at the foot of the bed. The doctor looked over at Irina.

"I'll leave you alone with him. There's a nurse right outside the room at all times, so if you need to get in touch with me just let her know and she'll get me." Irina looked at him.

"Okay."

"I'll be back a little while later to talk to you about accommodations. We'll make room for all of you, so that you can stay in the hospital and be close to him." She smiled a little.

"Thank you." He nodded and gave a small smile before leaving.

Everyone stood by the bed for a few minutes in silence before Vaughn, Eric, Marshall, and Dixon got chairs for everyone to sit on. After sitting in silence for half an hour, Dixon looked at his watch, and then looked over at Irina.

"We should probably get in touch with the people back home. They'd want to know how things are going. I can call Kendall, and he can get in touch with everyone. Or would you rather call Katya or Sergei, Irina, and have one of them get in touch with everyone?" Irina looked at Dixon.

"No, I'd appreciate it if you got in touch with Kendall. I can call Katya and Sergei later." He nodded and got up. Chase got up too.

"I think food is the last thing on everyone's mind at the moment, but I also think we're probably hungrier than we realize. I'm just going to talk to the nurse to see if the cafeteria is still open, or if there's any other way of getting something to eat and drink." Irina nodded and Marshall got up too.

"I'll help." They walked out the door, and Vaughn got up from his seat too.

"I just need to talk to Marcus. I'll be right back." He gave Sydney's shoulder a squeeze, and she nodded back. He walked out and walked over to Marcus, who was just about to make the phone call, and saw that Marshall and Chase were about to walk over to the nurse. "Marcus, wait a minute. You too, Marshall." Dixon looked at him puzzled, and so did Marshall and Chase. They joined Vaughn and Dixon.

"What is it, Vaughn?"

"Could you tell Kendall not to let the kids know? The doctor only seems to think that Jack will live a few days. A week at the most. If that's the case, I don't think the kids need to know that. I'd rather be there myself to tell my children that their grandfather has passed away. They shouldn't be told over the phone that their grandfather might die. I haven't talked it over with Sydney, Eric, or Nadia, but I think, it's best this way." He looked at Marshall. "Wouldn't you agree?"

"Yeah, I think that's best too. Besides they don't know that we went to get Jack, Irina, and the triplets." Dixon nodded.

"I agree too, but I can't really keep the information from Stephen and Robin. They know the real reason for leaving." Vaughn sighed.

"I know, and I know that it'll probably be hard to remain silent, so I hate to have to ask them to do that."

"It's okay. It might be hard, but they'll understand." Vaughn smiled a little.

"Thank you. Tell Kendall, we'll all check in with the kids later on to tell them we're alright."

"I will." Vaughn nodded and went back to Jack's room while Marshall and Chase walked back over to the nurse and Dixon made the phone call to Kendall.

* * *

Everyone had something to eat in Jack's room, though Irina hardly ate anything. Later Chase called Devlin to ask about further developments in finding Sloane, Dixon had made another call to APO to ask about the same and had also made a call to Stephen and Robin, and everyone else had called their children too. Irina had had a brief conversation with Katya and Sergei, and they'd talked to the triplets too.

A while later they'd talked to the doctor about accommodations. Irina and the triplets would stay in the same room with Jack, and the others would be sleeping in the waiting room that was just down the hall from Jack's room.

Dixon, Marshall, and Chase turned in, and when they'd said goodnight to everyone and left the room the triplets went to sleep too. Maddie leaned closer to Jack.

"Goodnight daddy. I love you." Caitie was next.

"I love you too, daddy. Goodnight." Ethan was the last one.

"See you tomorrow, daddy. I love you. Goodnight."

None of them had touched Jack. Irina could tell that they wanted too, but that they were also afraid of doing that. She hadn't touched Jack either, and neither had Sydney and Nadia. She wanted to, but remembered what the doctor had said. She didn't even dare to give Jack light feathery touches. She wasn't going to be the one to push him over the edge. She already knew that it was her fault that they'd been kidnapped in the first place, that Jack had been tortured, and that he had gotten shot. She knew that if he died, she'd be the one, who killed him. She didn't need to be the reason he died so soon after coming out of surgery.

A while later Vaughn and Eric went to bed too, and an hour later Sydney rubbed her eyes.

"I don't want to leave, but I can hardly keep my eyes open." Nadia tried to suppress a yawn.

"Yeah, me too." Irina looked between them.

"It's late and it's been a long and hectic day. It's natural that you're tired. You should go to bed." Sydney and Nadia exchanged glances and realized their mother was right.

"Yeah that would probably be best."

"You should go to bed too, mom."

"I'm not tired." Sydney and Nadia exchanged glances again, both being concerned about their mother.

"Mom, you've been through hell. And not just during the time you were kidnapped, but in all the time the triplets were kidnapped. You need to rest."

"It's a bit hard to rest with your father's condition."

"We know, mom. But you also need to be strong for the triplets."

"I will be." She looked at them and smiled a little. "I'll rest the best I can. I promise." Sydney and Nadia had a feeling that she wasn't going to rest properly, but also knew not to argue with her about this. They both smiled back a little.

"Okay mom." Nadia stood and hugged her mother. "Goodnight mom. I love you."

"Goodnight sweetheart. I love you too." Nadia looked at her father.

"Goodnight dad. I love you." Sydney stood and walked over to her mother. She hugged her.

"I love you, mom. Goodnight."

"I love you too, sweetheart. Goodnight." Sydney looked at her father too.

"I love you, dad. Goodnight."

Sydney and Nadia gave their mother another smile before walking over to look at the triplets. Two couches, a table, and two mattresses had been brought in to Jack's room. Caitie and Maddie were each sleeping on a couch, and Ethan was sleeping on one of the mattresses. The other mattress was for Irina. They gave them a kiss on their foreheads and gave their mother one last small smile before they left the room.

Irina moved her chair a little closer to Jack when Sydney and Nadia left. She sat there looking at him without saying anything. She couldn't believe that she might not have him in her life anymore. She'd been without him enough in her life. So she decided to stay positive. He was going to make it, and things would be like they were before the triplets were kidnapped. She smiled at him a little.

"The doctors did a good job. You're well looked after, and you'll be well looked after throughout your recovery. I expect it'll be a while before you can be moved back home. I know you wouldn't want to be doing all of your recovery here. So I think they'll let you do the last of your recovery at a hospital at home when you're safe enough to move." She laughed a little. "I know you won't like that. You hate hospitals, and will never admit to being sick. But it'll be the best for you. I think you'll agree with me on that, even though you'll probably have to stay in hospital for maybe a month total."

She sat talking to him on and off throughout the night. Other times she just sat there watching him. She also looked over at the triplets to make sure that they were alright. They didn't seem to have nightmares, and she was happy about that. She figured that getting some crayons and something for them to draw on would be good for them. They loved to color. They could make some new drawings for the fridge that they could put up when Jack came home from the hospital. She smiled at the thought and went back to looking at Jack.

* * *

Meanwhile back home in the States Kendall had gone to APO for a while to check in on things. Katya, Carrie, and Rachel all stayed back at the safe house with everyone else. They all knew that they couldn't do much. They could only sit and wait to hear that Jack was getting better or worse, and wait to hear if there were any new leads on Sloane.

Kendall had agreed with Devlin that he'd go to APO for a few hours every day, until everyone got home from India. When he wasn't at APO, he would still call in to check on how things were going, and the agents there could call him if anything important turned up, whether that had something to do with Sloane or not. Kendall would likewise get calls if there were any new leads on Sloane or on other important matters.

Kendall came back to the safe house after having been at APO. He got a bottle of water out of the fridge and walked outside into the backyard. He walked over to Sergei, who was watching Katya, Carrie, Will, and Rachel playing with the kids, and who were all further away from them. Sergei looked at Kendall as he sat down next to them.

"Any news about anything?" He sighed.

"No nothing." He took a sip of his water. "How are things here?"

"They're okay considering the circumstances. Carrie, Will, Rachel, and I try our best not to give anything away. It's the same with Stephen and Robin. But if they need to talk about it, one of us will go for a walk with them away from the house. The rest of the kids seem to be doing okay at the moment. It helped that they talked to their parents."

"What about Katya?"

"She's calm and positive like always. I don't expect that to change."

Kendall took a deep breath and exhaled slowly without Sergei seeing or hearing it. He looked at Katya, and could see that she was smiling more than the others as she was pushing Isabelle on the swing. He sighed. It seemed that what had happened at APO hadn't helped. Kendall looked back at Sergei.

"No, I don't expect that to change either."

Sarah and Becky came running towards Kendall and Sergei. They were smiling, and Kendall and Sergei smiled back at them.

"Hi uncle Kendall." They gave him a hug.

"Hi girls. Are you having fun?"

"Yeah, we are."

"That's good to hear." Becky took Sergei's hand in hers.

"Are you two coming?"

"Of course."

Kendall and Sergei got up. Kendall picked up Sarah, Sergei picked up Becky, and they walked over to join the others. Katya, Carrie, Will, and Rachel looked at Kendall as he joined them. He shook his head a little indicating that he hadn't heard anything new. They all nodded in return and went back to paying attention to the kids.

* * *

When morning came at the hospital in India, Irina was still sitting watching Jack. She hadn't slept at all, and hadn't even attempted it. She took her eyes off of him when she noticed Ethan starting to sit up. She smiled at him and he walked over to her and sat in her lap. She gave him a kiss and hugged him.

"Morning sweetheart."

"Morning mommy." He gave her a kiss too, and then looked at his father. "Morning daddy."

"Did you sleep well?"

"Yes, I slept fine."

"That's good to hear."

"How's daddy?"

"The doctor hasn't been in here yet, but I don't think there's any change since last night." They sat in silence for a few seconds just watching Jack. "I thought, we could get some crayons and something for you, Caitie, and Maddie to draw on. Would you like that?"

"Yes that would nice." She kissed his cheek.

"Good."

A few minutes later Caitie and Maddie woke up too. They walked over and said good morning to their parents and brother, and sat down next to Irina. A few minutes after that Sydney and Nadia walked into the room. They gave Irina and the triplets a small smile when they saw them. They then noticed the mattress that Irina was supposed to have slept on, and saw that it looked the same as when they had left the room. The blankets and pillow were in the same spot as when they'd left the room, and it all looked untouched. They looked at each other briefly and sighed before walking over to their mother and siblings to give them a hug.

Ten minutes later a nurse walked into the room.

"Good morning."

"Morning."

"I was told to ask you what you want to do about breakfast. You can either have it at the cafeteria, here, or in the waiting room. Where would you like it served?" Sydney looked at her.

"I don't know about the ones still in the waiting room, but you can serve breakfast to the ones of us in here, here." The nurse smiled.

"I'll pass that on, and I'll just go ask the others in the waiting room. That's if they're up yet?"

"They're awake at least, so you can go ahead and ask them."

"I'll do that then. Breakfast will be here in ten to fifteen minutes." Irina smiled at the nurse a little.

"Thank you."

"My pleasure." She was about to walk out, but looked back at Irina. "The doctor will be to check on your husband in a few hours."

"Thank you." The nurse nodded and left.

Two minutes later Dixon walked into Jack's room. He gave them a nod, and they nodded in return.

"Vaughn and Eric will be in here to have breakfast with you in a few minutes. In the meantime the rest of us will stay in the waiting room, and go over some work while we eat. I just thought I'd let you know."

"Okay. Thank you."

"How are you?"

"As well, as can be expected." Dixon nodded.

"And Jack?"

"The doctor hasn't been to see him yet. I think he's about the same as yesterday, though"

"We'll be in here later." Irina smiled a little at him.

"Okay. Enjoy breakfast."

"You too."

* * *

Breakfast went by mostly in silence. Irina didn't eat much this time either. After, Vaughn and Eric took the empty trays away, and some time after that Marshall, Dixon, and Chase joined them. A while later the triplets went to the bathroom to change into the clothes the rescue team had brought with them, and that they'd worn after being examined at the hospital. Everyone had received something to sleep in by the hospital, and everyone else had already changed before coming into Jack's room. With the exception of Irina, who had worn her clothes all night. The following two hours after breakfast were also mostly spent in silence. Sydney looked at her mother.

"We didn't bring more than one set of clothes for everyone. So since we'll probably be here for a while, maybe we should go out and buy some new clothes, and what else we might need." Nadia nodded.

"I think that's a good idea. I think getting out of here for a few hours will do us all good. We can find a nice place to have lunch." She looked at the triplets. "What do you guys say to that?" Ethan smiled a little.

"I think that's a good idea. We can get crayons." Nadia smiled back.

"Yes absolutely." She looked at Caitie and Maddie. "What do you two think?" Maddie nodded.

"I think that would be nice." Caitie nodded too.

"Yeah, me too."

"Then let's go." They got up from their seats. Everyone else did too except for Irina. Sydney looked at her.

"Mom, are you coming?" Irina shook her head.

"I'm not leaving your father alone."

"Irina, Eric and I can stay behind and look after Jack while you go out."

"That's kind of you to offer, Michael, but I vowed to Jack on our wedding day that I'd never leave him again." Sydney and Nadia sighed a little and walked over to their mother.

"Mom, you know that, that's not the leaving you were referring to."

"Yeah, mom. Besides, dad would want you to get out and get some air. He would want you to take care of yourself." Irina smiled.

"Yes, he would. Your father is a kind and caring man, who only wants what's best for you. But it's best for me to stay here."

"Mom, the fresh air will do you good. It'll do all of us good."

"Mom, please?"

"I can't." Maddie walked back over to her mother.

"It's okay, mommy. We'll bring you back some new clothes and what else you might need." Caitie joined her sister.

"Yeah, you stay with daddy. Sydney and Nadia will know what to get for you." Irina looked at them, smiled at them, and then hugged and kissed them.

"Thank you, sweethearts." Ethan walked over to his mother.

"We'll get something for daddy too. He'll at least need a razor and shaving cream." Irina bit her lower lip as she smiled at her son.

"Yes, he will. You get him that." She gave him a hug and a kiss too, and the triplets joined Sydney, Nadia, and everyone else again. Nadia looked at her mother.

"Are you sure, you don't want to join us?"

"Yes, I'm sure. I'll be fine. I have your father to keep me company." Sydney and Nadia still didn't like leaving their mother alone, but also knew she wouldn't change her mind.

"Okay. We have our phones on us, so you can call us if there's any change, or if there's anything you want us to buy."

"I will. Have a good time."

"We'll try. Bye."

Irina sat looking at Jack for almost half an hour before talking to him.

"Now that we're alone, I can tell you what happened. Apparently Sark wasn't on the side of evil after all. He convinced you-know-who to let him go and get the last documents meant for brainwashing the triplets." She couldn't bring herself to mention Cuvee and Sloane by name. "Luckily you-know-who were going to town that day, and when they left he was able to get the other documents from their office, and everything else he needed. He's burned all the documents, so that won't be a problem any longer."

She took a deep breath thinking how horrible things could've gotten if Sark hadn't been able to get away. But things could still have gone horribly wrong if Cuvee and Sloane hadn't left the prison that day. Sark might not have had the opportunity to get in to their office and look through everything and get all the information he needed. She shook the thought from her mind, and smiled a little instead.

"It turns out that Sark has a girlfriend and a daughter. They were kidnapped by you-know-who and Sark was forced to work with them if he wanted to see his family alive again. He found the information on their whereabouts, and had them rescued and brought to safety before he contacted APO. He took Sydney's number from your phone, and called her." She laughed a little. "I'm sure you can imagine how they didn't believe him at first. But he gave them all the information he had on our whereabouts, and the videotaping of him burning the documents. He proved himself, and they started to work out a rescue mission."

She sat there watching him to see if there would be any reaction from him. She hoped there would be, but there wasn't. She sighed and went on.

"All the guards at the prison were taken out, but unfortunately the smaller one of you-know-who escaped. APO still doesn't know anything about his whereabouts. Nor do any other intelligence agencies that are on the lookout for him. He was put into a bulletproofed car, and he'd fixed the computer, so that APO lost satellite readings. The rescue team on that side was under heavy fire, so it took too long for Marshall to get to the office and fix it, so that APO had satellite readings again. But Marshall put another bullet into you-know-whose leg."

She watched for a reaction, and when she didn't get one she told herself, she'd be telling this to Jack again when he woke up. She thought about the triplets and smiled.

"The triplets are fine. They were rescued without any complications and brought to safety immediately. We have three, brave eight-year-old." She smiled broader. "They get that from you." She kept smiling at him for a few seconds before going on. "Well I suppose they might not be completely fine. But they don't seem too traumatized. They slept through the night, but I think that has to do with the two of us being in the room. I think they feel safe immediately when they're in the same room with us. Just like we talked about it being a form of security when they used to snuggle with me every morning when I got back from Sovogda after I'd been gone for so long, and the way they kept snuggling with us for a long time even after we moved to LA." She smiled again a little broader. "I look forward to them snuggling with us Christmas morning."

She took a few seconds to think about Christmas, and the talk they'd had in Kashmir about what they were looking forward to. She told herself that they'd be doing all of the things that they'd talked about.

"Everyone went out, which is why I'm the only one here. Sydney, Nadia, and everyone else did only bring one set of clothes for us, so they all went to get us something to wear. The triplets will also bring back crayons." She smiled." You know how they love to draw. And I think, it'll be good for them." Irina looked up from Jack and at the door when she heard someone enter.

"Hello Mrs. Bristow."

"Hello doctor."

"The nurse said she saw everyone leave. They said they went out to get clothes and what else they might need. May I ask why you didn't go with them?"

"I need to stay by my husband."

"I see." He walked closer to Jack's bed. "I'm just going to do a quick examination. Mostly just look at his monitors. They'll give me most of the information that I need. You're welcome to stay. It won't take long." She nodded.

"Thank you. I'd like to stay."

The doctor nodded and opened the folder of Jack's latest results that he'd brought with him. He walked over to the monitor, took out a pen from his pocket, and started comparing the new readings to the ones from the day before. He wrote down the new results, and Irina couldn't tell if the new results were better than the old ones. She thought, she'd leave him to examine Jack in peace, and wait to get the final result when he was done.

When the doctor had finished comparing notes a few minutes later, he walked to the headboard, put the folder down, the pen down with it, and got out his small flashlight. Irina held her breath as the doctor touched Jack and examined his eyes. He then put the flashlight in his pocket again, and Irina breathed. But only for a few seconds. Next the doctor slowly pulled Jack's sheet down and examined his wounds. Irina knew that the doctor knew what he was doing, but she also feared that he would put too much pressure on Jack. A short while later the doctor finished his examination and Irina could breathe again.

She looked as the doctor picked up the folder again and made notes of his latest examination and compared them to the old ones. When he closed the folder and put the pen in his pocket he sighed before turning to look at her.

"Mrs. Bristow, I wish I had better news to tell, and that you had someone here with you."

"I'll be alright. You can go ahead and tell me." He sighed again and nodded.

"Unfortunately your husband's condition has deteriorated slightly. All of his results were worse than yesterday. I can only conclude as I told you yesterday that his condition will continue to deteriorate. I'm sorry that I couldn't bring you better news."

"You say that his condition has only deteriorated slightly. That could still mean that he'll pull through. As I told you, my husband is strong."

"Mrs. Bristow, I can understand that it can't be easy to realize that your husband will no longer be with you, but that is the brutal reality. We're talking days here. I expect he'll only be around for a few more days. You should prepare yourself for that, and not live in denial. If you want someone to talk to, to help you get through this we have excellent psychiatrists here."

"Thank you for the offer, but no thank you. I don't need to talk to anyone, because I know how strong my husband is. He's been through hell in the past. He got through that, so I see no reason why he shouldn't make it this time."

"If that's what you want to believe, I won't stand in the way of that. I don't think it's healthy that you think this way, but I won't stand in the way of that. I only hope that you'll be honest with your children about the results that I gave you."

"I told you yesterday that I wasn't going to hide the truth from them, so I'm not going to start now."

"I'm glad." He sighed. "I'll leave you alone with your husband. Let the nurse outside know if there's anything you need."

"I will." He gave her a nod and walked out.

Irina looked back at Jack. She couldn't think of anything to talk to him about, so she just sat there watching him.

Two hours later a nurse walked in.

"I thought you'd left with your family and everyone else, but the doctor told me you were still here." Irina smiled.

"My husband doesn't like hospitals, so I stayed to make sure he doesn't leave his bed."

"I see." The nurse walked a little closer. "I came to ask you if you'd like some lunch."

"Thank you, but no. I'm not hungry."

"Are you sure I shouldn't bring you something? You could always safe it for when you get hungry." Irina smiled politely.

"Yes, I'm sure. I'll let you know if I get hungry."

The nurse thought that Irina should have something to eat after having spoken with the doctor, but also didn't want to push her on the matter.

"Well as you know I'm right outside, so just let me know if I can get you anything."

"I will. Thank you." The nurse nodded and left.

* * *

A few hours later everyone got back. Irina smiled at them when they walked in. The triplets walked over to her, hugged her and gave her a kiss.

"Hi mommy. Hi daddy."

"Did you have a good time?"

"Yes, it was nice."

"I'm glad." Sydney and Nadia looked at their mother a little nervously.

"Uh mom? Did the doctor examine dad yet?"

"Yes, a while back."

"What did he say?" Irina sighed, but still smiled a little.

"He said that your father's condition has deteriorated a little." Everyone gasped a little, and she looked at the triplets. "The doctor really only said a little. Daddy can still pull through." Ethan smiled.

"Yes, he can." Irina looked at him and smiled. Caitie and Maddie looked from their mother to their brother and then back at their mother. They nodded and smiled a little. Irina engulfed all three in a hug.

"Will you show me what you bought?"

"Of course mommy."

The triplets walked over to the table and couches and Irina followed them. When she walked passed Sydney and Nadia she gave them a hug, a kiss on the cheek, and an encouraging smile. They smiled a little, but sighed when Irina walked over to the table and had her back turned to them.

The triplets showed their mother everything that had been bought, and they told their father about it too. Irina, the triplets, Sydney, Nadia, Vaughn, and Eric had dinner in Jack's room, while Marshall, Dixon, and Chase had dinner in the cafeteria. Irina hardly touched her food, saying she wasn't that hungry.

After dinner Marshall, Dixon, and Chase came back and they all stayed in Jack's room for a while. They talked from time to time, but a lot of the time also went by in silence.

A while later Vaughn, Eric, Marshall, Dixon, and Chase went to sleep, and half an hour later Irina told the triplets a story and kissed them goodnight. She stayed by their side until they were asleep and went back to sit by Jack.

Sydney and Nadia stayed in the room for another hour, but then thought they'd go to bed too. Sydney put a hand on her mother's shoulder.

"Nadia and I are off to bed. Make sure you get some sleep too." Irina gave Sydney a small smile.

"I'll rest."

Nadia sighed not really thinking that would be the case. They said goodnight to their parents, and hugged and kissed Irina goodnight. Before walking out they gave the triplets a kiss on their foreheads.

Irina looked at Jack for a long time. She didn't really know what to say to him. But after a while she said something. She continued talking to him on and off throughout the night without getting any sleep.

* * *

The next day Dixon and Chase had been on the phone with APO and Devlin. They had agreed that Chase should return to work in the US to help with finding Sloane. They all had lunch together in Jack's room and two hours later it was time for her to leave. Everyone but Irina would be walking her to her car, and they'd all gone out to wait for Chase in the hall while she and Irina said goodbye to each other in Jack's room.

"I'm not done apologizing to you yet. I'll be doing a lot of that when you get back. Believe me, I'll be doing a lot of it. But before I go, I just want you to know that I never believed you had anything to do with what happened to Robin and her friend. I didn't want to believe that you had changed, so I wanted to see if I could provoke your anger. I thought that maybe somehow I would find evidence of the terrorist you once were, and show that everyone had been wrong about you. I know that you've never been anything but kind to Robin and Stephen, and I feel so ashamed for accusing you. And ashamed for using Robin like that. That's what I regret the most in the way I've treated you, and the thing I'll be apologizing for the most." Irina smiled a little.

"Thank you for telling me. I don't need a million apologizes. You might not have been nice towards me, but I know you love Robin and Stephen very much, and that they love you. That's all that matter and I'm happy for them that they have you in their lives. I hope by your apology that we can all spend time together." Chase smiled back.

"I certainly hope that too." Chase reached out her hand to Irina. "Bye Irina. Take care and I'll see you at home." Irina took Chase's hand and shook it.

"Bye Hayden. Get back home safe and say hi to Robin and Stephen."

"I will." Chase looked over at Jack. She remembered her conversation with Eric, and didn't really want to say goodbye to Jack in case Irina would think that by saying that, she thought Jack would die. She smiled a little at him. "Take care, Jack." She walked to the door and looked back at Irina and smiled. "Bye." She nodded and smiled a little in return.

When she'd left Irina sat back down next to Jack. She let out a small laugh.

"Well who would've thought, but Chase actually apologized. Can you believe it? I hardly can, but it's nice. And it'll be good for everyone that she and I can be in the same room now. Especially for Robin and Stephen."

She sat looking at Jack for a while without saying anything. She then leaned forward in her chair and studied the beard that had started to grow. It wasn't much, but enough for her.

"You know, we really need to do something about that beard you're starting to grow. When you get better and can sit up, we'll remove it. As you know, Ethan bought a razor and shaving cream yesterday, so there's no excuse, mister." She smiled. "I remember early in our marriage when you got home from a mission that had lasted four months. You had this disgusting beard. I refused to kiss you until you removed it. You asked me why I wouldn't kiss you, and I said it'd be like kissing a goat. You asked me how I'd know that, and I told you I just knew. Then you told me you wouldn't be shaving it off, and I refused to kiss you. You kept it on for three days before you shaved it off. I wasn't able to keep my hands off you when I saw you without the beard, but eventually I had to, thanks to you." She smiled fondly as she remembered that time.

It had been hard being apart from him during those four months, just like it was every time they were apart. But that time had been harder because that had also been the time the KGB had first talked about extracting her. She'd been scared that she'd be extracted before Jack got home, but a month before he got home, the KGB told her that she could stay. She'd been relieved that they'd believed her lie, and she had spent the next month planning on how to welcome Jack home.

She knew he'd be home late in the evening, so she hadn't planned much. A little wine and dancing and making up for lost time in the bedroom. But that changed when he'd called her, and told her that he didn't have to be at work until late the following day. She didn't have to teach the following day because it was the middle of July, so she knew they didn't have to go to bed early. Sydney would probably wake up early, but she knew Jack would be home, so she'd get between her parents and stay until they decided to get up.

Irina had planned to just wear jeans and a shirt, but with Jack staying longer the next morning, she'd put on her best and sexiest underwear, and wore one of Jack's shirts over it leaving it open. She'd prepared some fruit to go with the wine, and had spread out a blanket on the living room floor, placing the wine and fruit there. The living room was lit only by candlelight, and soft music was playing.

When she heard the front door open, she didn't move although she wanted to. When Jack called for her, she answered him, telling him she was in the living room. She was excited to see him again, but instead of being ready to jump into his arms, she stood gaping at him when she saw the beard on his face. He was gaping at her too, but that was by seeing her in her underwear and her body that was illuminated by candlelight.

After he had recovered a little, he walked over to her and was just about to kiss her when she stopped him. At first it was fun teasing each other. Her telling him that kissing him would be like kissing a goat. He'd tried to kiss her anyway, but when her cheek made contact with his beard and it was still a little scratchy in places, she'd gotten stubborn and pushed him away not wanting to kiss him. He'd gotten stubborn too saying he wasn't going to shave it off. She'd refused to kiss him until he did, and that had been the end of that night. Irina blew the candles out and cleaned up downstairs while Jack went up to check on Sydney and unpack.

Their stubbornness had lasted for three days. Three days after coming home Jack had gotten the day off. It was a Saturday, and they'd agreed to spend the day doing what Sydney wanted. It had been hot, and they'd spent some of the day at the beach, and the rest of the day at a fair. They'd gotten home later than usual, and Sydney was put straight to bed. She had fallen asleep in the car, so Irina couldn't understand what had kept Jack upstairs for so long.

When he got downstairs he'd offered her something to drink. She looked up at him, noticed a bottle of alcohol in his hand, but also noticed he had shaved. She smiled broadly at him, and he smiled broadly at her. She'd jumped up from the couch, and covered his mouth with hers not wanting to let go. Kissing him again was too good.

They'd ended up making love on the couch before opening the bottle of alcohol. They'd both taken big gulps to begin with and soon half the bottle was gone. After having been in the heat all day, and not having had anything more solid than corndogs for dinner, they'd gotten drunk quickly. Jack had decided to make toast to settle the hunger in his stomach. While he waited for that to finish, he walked back into the living room. They both drank more of the alcohol and when Irina had caressed his face and started kissing him again, he decided to settle a different hunger and forgot all about the toast he was making.

They'd gotten too lost in each other to notice that something was burning. Only when Jack had looked up and noticed the smoke coming out from the kitchen had they'd remembered the toast. They'd gotten off each other as quickly as they could and stumbled to the kitchen. Despite their drunken state, they'd sobered rather quickly from having to put out the fire. When the fire was out Irina had put her clothes on and had checked on Sydney. She'd been fast asleep. They'd agreed it was best to move to a hotel, so as not to risk any of them inhaling any smoke. They'd woken Sydney, gone to the Summit and ended up staying for a week until the damages had been repaired.

Irina laughed a little and looked at Jack again.

"But we made up for lost time when we moved back into the house again a week later, and I was still not able to keep my hands off you." She smiled and looked at the beard again. "I actually do know that kissing you with a beard like that would be like kissing a goat, because I kissed a goat once. I was seven, and I was at a farm with my parents and Katya. She and I made a bet." She shook her head. "I can't remember what the bet was about, but I lost and Katya said I had to kiss a goat. I didn't want to, but she said that a bet was a bet. I really wished she'd thought of something else for me to do rather than have me kiss a goat." She laughed. "But who other than Katya would make you kiss a goat, right?" She sat smiling at him and didn't say much else until the others got back.

* * *

The rest of the day went by much like the previous day. A little while after everyone had gotten back from saying goodbye to Chase, the doctor came and examined Jack. The result was not good. Jack's condition had deteriorated further. The doctor tried to talk to Irina about it, but she kept saying that Jack was strong.

Everyone ate together in Jack's room, and stayed until late. Dixon and Marshall went to bed first. They were followed a short while later by Vaughn and Eric, and the triplets were tugged in at the same time.

Sydney and Nadia stayed with their mother for a little while longer before saying goodnight and leaving. When they were out in the hall they looked at each other. They knew that it would probably be best if they said something to her about his condition. But none of them had the heart to tell their mother to let their father go. They couldn't do that, because they couldn't let him go either, even though they were more realistic about his condition than she was.

Irina didn't sleep at all at night. She looked at Jack and talked to him from time to time. She also looked over at the triplets. They slept peacefully.

* * *

When morning came the triplets walked over and joined their mother for a while before going to the bathroom to change. A while later Sydney and Nadia joined them, a few minutes after that Vaughn and Eric, and some time after that the nurse came and asked about breakfast. They all decided to have breakfast in Jack's room, and Dixon and Marshall joined them a few minutes later. Irina didn't eat much.

They spent the rest of the morning in Jack's room. The triplets spent the time mostly drawing. They'd also borrowed some cards, games, and puzzles that everyone occupied their time with. Later they also had lunch in the room, but again Irina didn't really eat anything, and in the afternoon everyone went for a walk outside. Except for Irina.

After sitting watching Jack for a while she spoke to him.

"It's July 2nd today in case you're wondering." She smiled." Next year we'll have to celebrate the 4th of July twice as much since we'll be missing it this year. Well maybe we could celebrate when we get home and you're better." She nodded. "Yeah, I think everyone would like that."

She continued talking about the party, telling Jack what meat they should get for the barbeque and what other food they should make and what beverages to get. After, she talked to him about other things and also just remained silent at times looking at him.

When everyone got back from their walk, they all went back to playing cards, games, drawing, and making puzzles. They all had dinner in Jack's room, but Irina played with her food more than she ate it.

* * *

Shortly after dinner the doctor came into the room. Dixon and Marshall cleaned up while he did the examination. Irina held her breath every time the doctor touched Jack just like she'd done all the other times the doctor had examined him. The doctor examined Jack longer than he'd done the other times, and he carefully compared the new results to the old ones. When he was done he looked around at everyone and looked lastly at Irina.

"Can I talk to all of you outside?"

Everyone was a bit nervous by the tone in the doctor's voice except for Irina, who didn't seem to show any nervousness. Instead she smiled a little at the doctor and nodded.

"Of course." She got up from her seat. So did everyone else and they followed, the doctor into the hall.

Dixon and Marshall came back and joined them when they spotted everyone outside Jack's room. They were nervous about the situation too, and it didn't make things better for anyone when the doctor took a few seconds before saying anything. The doctor took a breath before looking at Irina.

"I really wish that this examination had a better outcome, but unfortunately it didn't. Mr. Bristow's condition has deteriorated rapidly. In fact it has deteriorated so rapidly that I don't expect him to make it through the night. In a situation like this, it's my experience that the people losing a loved one feel better having said their goodbyes when the person is still alive. I recommend that you say your goodbyes now, and don't wait until after Mr. Bristow has taken his last breath. If you don't, you might regret it later on."

Marshall started to shake a little and Dixon put his arm around him. Nadia started sobbing and put her face in her hands. Eric hugged her from behind and buried his face in her neck. Sydney turned in Vaughn's arms and buried her face in his shoulder crying her eyes out, and Vaughn hugged her tightly. The triplets wrapped their arms around their mother, and started crying. Irina put her arms around them, staring blankly at the door to Jack's room.

**TBC**


	27. Chapter 27

**SofiaBlackBristow:** I'm sorry I made you cry, but yet again I can't help but feel honored. Well, it's the doctor's advice that they say goodbye, but they may not take that advice. Yeah, everyone certainly needs Jack. I've already written 33 chapters and know how most of the rest of the story will turn out, so I'm not making any changes to where I want this story to go or how it turns out. Kiss to you too. Thank you for reading and commenting - it means so much. :-)

**Rishka Derevko:** I'm sorry that I've done that to you and that I've made you cry so much - though as always I can't help but feel honored. Thank you for thinking that my story is still faboulous. *blush* Why do you want to say goodbye to Jack? Are you going somewhere? Thank you for reading and commenting - it means so much. :-)

* * *

**Chapter 27**

Irina continued to stare blankly at the door for a few seconds. Her lips were trembling and she was on the verge of tears. But instead of letting her tears fall, she got furious.

"No. I'm not going to let him give up that easily." Everyone stared wide eyed at Irina through their tears.

"Mrs. Bristow, I think maybe you need to sit down." She shook her head.

"No. What I need is to talk some sense into my husband." She let go of the triplets and stormed passed the doctor, and burst into Jack's room. Everyone looked at each other for a brief second before following her.

"Mom, wait."

Irina was shaking her head furiously when she reached the headboard. She looked down at Jack for a few seconds and then she started yelling.

"What the hell do you think you're doing? Are you just going to give up that easily? Are you really just going to lay there and die?"

"Mom, please stop." Irina didn't pay any attention to Nadia.

"You never give up. You're stronger than that. You're more stubborn than that. And you fight. So fight, god damn it. Fight."

"Mom, calm down." She didn't pay any attention to Sydney either.

"Jack, if you die, I swear I'm never talking to you again. Not while I'm alive, and I'm sure as hell not going to talk to you in the afterlife. You're on your own there. So you better damn well fight if you want me to talk to you again. Do you hear me? Am I getting through that thick head of yours? Am I? Damn it, Jack, don't you dare give up. Don't you even da….da.." Her vision got a bit blurry and she shook her head. "Fight dammm…" She started to stumble a little. "Jack, fi..figh…fighhhh…" She collapsed on the floor, and the doctor rushed to her side.

"MOMMY, DON'T DIE."

"PLEASE HOLD ON, MOMMY."

Sydney and Nadia held Maddie and Caitie back when they tried to run towards their mother. They wanted to get to their mother themselves, but also knew that the doctor needed room to examine her. All they could do was comfort their sisters. Ethan stood silently by and looked between his parents.

The doctor shook Irina and slapped her lightly on her cheek.

"Mrs. Bristow, I need you to wake up. Come on." Irina started to groan a little, and her head started to roll from side to side a little. Her voice was only a whisper.

"Jaa…Jack….I…I..lov….love…..y..you." The doctor looked over at the others and gave the triplets a reassuring smile.

"Your mother is going to be just fine. She just needs to rest. She's not going to die." Maddie and Caitie nodded slightly and Ethan nodded a bit more. The doctor looked at Dixon. "Could you get the nurse outside the door, please?"

"Yes." Dixon left the room and returned with the nurse a few seconds later. She walked over to the doctor and he looked up at her.

"Get a stretcher and some help in here. We need to get her to a room, so that she can rest."

"Right away, doctor."

The nurse left and returned a few minutes later with two doctors, a nurse, and a stretcher. Everyone made room for them to get the stretcher to Irina. Once she was on the stretcher the doctor looked at his colleagues and the nurses.

"Let's put her in the nearest room from here. Go ahead and get her settled. I'll be right there."

"Right away." The two doctors and nurses left and Jack's doctor looked at Sydney and Nadia.

"I have a feeling that your mother hasn't eaten much the last couple of days." Nadia nodded.

"Yes, she has hardly touched her food, and she hasn't been drinking much either."

"Has she slept much?" Sydney shook her head.

"No, we don't think she's slept at all since she came here. Probably not much before that either."

"We'll make sure to rectify that." He looked at the triplets and smiled. "Your mother will be just fine. We'll take good care of her, and she's in no danger of dying." The triplets nodded and the doctor looked around at everyone. "As I said a little while ago, I advice you to say your goodbyes to Mr. Bristow. I think that will be best for you."

Sydney and Nadia bit their bottom lip, holding back the tears to stop themselves from sobbing again at the moment. They nodded and hugged Maddie and Caitie tighter when they turned in their embraces. Maddie shook her head.

"I don't want to say goodbye to daddy."

"Me either." Sydney and Nadia looked at their sisters.

"We don't want to say goodbye to dad either."

"Maybe we could go and sit with mom for a while? Would you like that?" They both nodded slightly. Sydney looked at Ethan.

"Ethan, do you want to come with us to sit with mom for a while?"

Ethan looked at Sydney and then looked back at his father. He smiled a little before turning back towards Sydney.

"Yeah, I'd like that." Nadia looked at Eric, Vaughn, Dixon, and Marshall.

"Maybe some of you could say goodbye to dad?" They looked around at each other for a few seconds, and slightly nodded at Nadia. She nodded back.

"Then I will take you to your mother's room. Follow me." The doctor walked out of Jack's room first followed by Sydney, Maddie, Nadia, Caitie, and Ethan.

Vaughn, Eric, Dixon, and Marshall stayed in the room looking around at each other. None of them could really bring themselves to be the first one to say goodbye to Jack. Marshall shook his head and dried his tears.

"I don't think I can do this right now. I really need to talk to Carrie. Tell her how things are." Vaughn nodded.

"It's okay, Marshall. We understand. Call Carrie and talk to her." Marshall nodded and left the room a little fast. Dixon looked at Vaughn and Eric.

"I don't want to pressure you two into saying goodbye to Jack first, but maybe you should say your goodbyes now. You'll have plenty of time to do it in before Sydney, Nadia, and the triplets get back, and as his sons-in-laws I'd think you'd want to spend quite a bit of time with him alone." Eric nodded.

"Yeah, you're right."

"I'll leave you alone then, and call home too." Vaughn and Eric nodded and Dixon left them alone in the room with Jack.

Vaughn and Eric stood in the room looking at Jack for a long time without saying anything. Vaughn ran a hand through his hair and shook his head.

"I can't say goodbye to him. I just can't."

"Then maybe we don't." Vaughn looked at Eric confused.

"What are you talking about?"

"Maybe we follow Irina's example. Maybe provoking him or yelling at him is what he needs in order to wake up." Eric walked away from Vaughn and walked to stand by Jack's bed. Vaughn followed him slowly and ended up on the other side of the bed.

"What exactly did you have in mind?" Eric looked up at Vaughn.

"I don't know, but maybe something like this." He looked down at Jack. "Hey Jack, remember when Nadia and I found out we were expecting David, and we told everyone at APO about it? Later by the coffeemaker you heard Vaughn and I talking and laughing, and as you walked up closer behind us, you thought you heard me talking about the many different times, Nadia and I could've produced him. When we saw you and you gave us your death glare, we tried to deny that, that was what we were talking about, and you walked away believing that we hadn't talked about that. Or maybe you walked away not wanting to believe that. Remember? Well, let me tell you that you heard correctly. I was telling Vaughn the many, many different ways Nadia could've gotten pregnant." Vaughn stared wide eyed and Eric.

"Eric, stop. Don't tell him that." Eric ignored Vaughn and went on.

"Let me tell you something about Nadia that you probably didn't know. She's wild. Very wild. I mean, I'm talking about some serious wild positions here. She's very bendy and the things she can do with her mouth are amazing."

"Geez Eric. Just stop."

"And when she speaks Spanish to me, I get really horny. I just can't keep my hands off of her. And she loves it. She loves my hands on her, my mouth on her, my tongue on her. In fact, Nadia is as horny as I am."

"Jack doesn't need to hear about that." Eric snapped at Vaughn.

"I think that's exactly what he needs to hear. If there's anyway that he can hear me on some subconscious level, then hearing me talk about Nadia like that will get him angry. And maybe provoking his anger like that will make him wake up." Eric looked back at Jack and snapped at him too. "Come on, Jack. I know you don't want to hear me talk about Nadia like that. So show me that Bristow death glare of yours. I know you want to. Come on, Jack. Come on."

Vaughn eyed Eric and thought that he had a point. Maybe provoking Jack's anger was what would make Jack wake up. It couldn't hurt and especially not when they were in the room alone with him. He decided to follow Eric's thinking.

"Hey Jack? If you die, do you realize who Irina will turn to for comfort? She'll turn to Stan. Sure she might have hated him in the past, but that will change with your death. Since you'll be dead Michelle won't have you to drool over anymore. She won't have any interest in Stan either, and he'll be free to spend all his free time with Irina. He'll be more caring towards her, because he'll realize that, that's what he needs to be in order to get her. Irina won't like it at first, but she'll be so heartbroken about your death that she'll think Stan has changed and she'll want him to take the pain away. Just imagine that, Jack. Imagine Stan with his hands allover Irina and her taking pleasure in his touches. If you don't want that to happen, you damn well better wake up, Jack. Show us your death glare."

"Yeah, Jack, we want to see it. We want to see that death glare. But do you know what I want to see more than that?" As tears started to form in his eyes, he calmed down. "I want to see the smile on my wife's face when she's talking to her father. I want to see the smile on her face, when I see her watching her father with her children. I want to see the smile on her face, when I see her watching her parents and she sees how much in love they are." The tears were falling down his cheeks by now, but he didn't attempt to dry them. "Please don't take that smile away, Jack. Please don't." Vaughn was crying too, but didn't dry them either.

"Jack, please don't deprive my children of their grandfather. Don't deprive any of your grandchildren of their grandfather. Or your children of their father, or Irina of her husband. They all need you. We all need you. Especially Irina. She can't live without you. And you put the same smile on Sydney's face that you do with Nadia. Don't take that away. You have to fight, Jack. Fight."

Vaughn and Eric stayed in Jack's room for a long time just crying and looking at Jack without saying anything. They were each remembering their time with him and still couldn't and wouldn't say goodbye.

There was a knock on the door that broke them from their thoughts.

"Yeah."

Marshall walked in. It was obvious that he'd done a lot more crying since the last time they saw him. He walked into the room a little.

"I don't want to disturb if you're not done yet." Vaughn and Eric looked at each other and gave each other a short nod. Vaughn looked back at Marshall.

"I think we've said what we needed to say. We might be in here later with Sydney, Nadia, and the triplets, so you can go ahead and talk to Jack now, if you want." Marshall nodded slightly.

"Yeah, I should probably do that." They nodded and walked towards the door. Eric stopped before walking passed Marshall.

"How's Carrie?"

"Not good. It was hard to tell her when I'm not able to be with her."

"That's understandable." Eric gave Marshall's shoulder a squeeze before walking out of the room. Vaughn did the same.

"Take your time." Marshall nodded and was left alone with Jack.

He walked closer to the bed and looked at him. He tried several times to speak, but no words came out and the tears started falling again. After a while he chuckled a little.

"It's funny how I always ramble on and on about pointless things, but now when it really matters I can't get the words out. But I think you know, what you mean to me." He smiled. "I've never admired another person the way I admire you. I've learned so much from you, and a lot of it has been from just observing you. There was a time when I thought that you and I would not really be friends. But the friendship, we've built over the last five years, is a friendship I'll cherish forever. And I'm proud to call you my friend." He chuckled a little again. "I can't imagine anyone not being proud of calling you his or her friend. Thank you, my friend, for letting me, be part of your life. Thank you for the way you've opened your heart to my family, and thank you for letting us be part of yours."

He stood for another few minutes just looking at Jack without saying anything. Like Vaughn and Eric, he too, thought back on his life with Jack. He was about to open his mouth to say goodbye, but he couldn't bring himself to say it. He stood for another two minutes and then turned to leave. Just before putting his hand on the door knob, he looked back at Jack.

"I don't know if you can hear me, but if you can I just have a favor to ask of you. Yeah, I know I'm not really in a position to ask anything of you, because you're the one in a hospital bed with gunshot wounds in your chest and the one, who has been tortured. But this is really important. If you'll grant me this favor I promise I'll never ask for anything ever again. Not ever. No, nothing ever again, and I'll do whatever I can to repay you. Absolutely anything you need." He took a breath. "Could you please not die? I know it's asking a lot with your current condition, but please don't die. You have no idea how much you'll be missed and how much you're needed. So please don't die. Just do whatever you can to hold on. Please Jack." He stood looking at Jack for a few more seconds and then left the room.

Marshall met Dixon in the hall. He told Dixon that there was no one in Jack's room, so Dixon decided to go in and say goodbye. But when he got in his room all he could do was just look at Jack. He also thought back on their time together. He shook his head.

"This can't be how it ends for you. It just can't be." He wanted to say more. He wanted to tell him how honored he was to know him, and what he meant to him as a friend and a colleague. But the words wouldn't come out. Not that they needed to be expressed. Jack knew what he meant to Dixon. So instead of talking he silently prayed for Jack to live. When he was done he looked at Jack. "I'm counting on you to pull through." He stayed for another minute before he left.

* * *

Half an hour later Ethan walked into Jack's room. He walked up to the headboard and smiled at his father.

"Hi daddy. Mommy's okay. She just needs to rest. But she'll come and see you when she's better. It might be a while, because she's passed out at the moment." He smiled a little broader at his father. "I found a new place to hide one of mommy's presents. She'll never be able to find it there. Your anniversary is next, so I'll use the place for that present, and think of a new place to hide one of her Christmas presents." He leaned closer and gave Jack a light kiss on his cheek. "I love you, daddy." He remained standing and just looked at his father.

After a while Sydney, Nadia, Maddie, and Caitie walked into the room. Nadia, Caitie, and Maddie walked on the other side of the bed opposite of Ethan. Nadia sat down on the chair by the bed with Caitie and Maddie sitting in her lap. She put her arms around them and pulled them closer. Sydney walked up to Ethan and sat down in the chair next to him, and Ethan sat down in her lap. She put her arms around him and pulled him closer.

"We wondered where you went." He smiled at her.

"I just wanted to talk to daddy."

"Okay."

They sat in silence for a while before Maddie spoke. She looked around at everyone.

"What's your favorite memory with daddy?" They all looked at each other and Sydney smiled.

"I guess, I'll go first since I'm the oldest." She thought for a while and then smiled a little more. "I have a lot of favorite memories with dad. One of them is when I was five. Mom was on a trip, and it was just dad and I for a few days. He was still busy with work, but he was able to get off work a little earlier every day than what he usually did on most days. Mom was coming home Sunday, and I thought that dad would be at work for a large part of Saturday. But that Saturday morning when he woke me up, he told me that he had the entire day off. I remember jumping out of bed raining kisses allover his face." Everyone smiled. "It wasn't really beach weather, but I wanted to make a sandcastle, so dad took me there without hesitation. After, we went to the carrousel and then home. We played a bunch of games throughout the rest of the day, and watched some cartoons in the evening. When it was time for bed, dad told me that he'd read to me until I fell asleep. It was so wonderful to have him all to myself, so I fought to stay awake for as long as I could, because I wanted the day to continue forever. And dad was great. He never once told me to go to asleep." Nadia smiled warmly.

"He was enjoying his time alone with you, just as much as you were enjoying your time alone with him." Sydney nodded.

"Yeah, he told me that the next day."

"Do you know how long you were able to stay awake?"

"Yes, I asked dad the next day. Almost two hours." Caitie looked at Sydney.

"Any favorite memory with dad from when you were older?"

"I have a lot of those too. One of my favorites was when I got married. The talk we had before he walked me down the aisle with the look in his eyes that told me how much he loved me and how happy and proud he was of me, but that also told me that he still thought of me as his little girl, and that he had a hard time letting me go." They all smiled a little more. "And then there was him walking me down the aisle, his teary eyes as Vaughn and I said, our vows, and our first dance together after the ceremony." She blinked back her tears and smiled. "I'll cherish those moments and a million more forever."

Everyone looked at Nadia next and she smiled.

"I guess it's my turn. Well, since I don't have any childhood memories with dad, I can only go with the memories I have with him as an adult."

She thought for a while. One of her favorite moments was when she had gone to his apartment on her first night home from the hospital after being in a coma and asked if he was her father. She had been relieved, had a great talk with him, and stayed at his place for the night. It had been wonderful. Another had been at the safe house, when she'd asked him if it'd be alright with him that she took his last name. But she couldn't tell the triplets that. They didn't know that there had been doubts as to who her father was. Maybe they'd know when they were older. Maybe one day they'd know the entire truth about their parents' lives and theirs. But it wasn't her or Sydney's place to tell them that, and now was not the time to say anything that might make them ask questions, they couldn't give the answer to.

Caitie tugged at Nadia's sleeve.

"Have you thought of something yet?" Nadia couldn't help but laugh a little as she looked at her sister.

"One of my absolute favorites is my wedding day too, and I experienced all the same things that Sydney did. Even though he wasn't with me as a child, he still looked at me as his little girl. But really every moment since we all got together as a family have been my favorite moments with him." Sydney nodded.

"I think we can all agree on that." The triplets nodded too. Sydney nudged Ethan a little. "You were the first one born out of the three of you, so you're next.

Ethan thought for a while. Some of his favorite moments were hiding presents for his father. It was their secret and no one else knew about it. But since it was their secret he couldn't tell his sisters about it. He closed his eyes and thought for a little while longer. Then he smiled even more than before.

"Every moment I've spent with daddy is my favorite moment. But the one that will be my favorite one out of all of them hasn't happened yet." Sydney and Nadia's smiles faded, and they exchanged glances. Sydney then hugged her brother tighter.

"Sweetie, you know what the doctor said. You know that dad probably won't live throughout the night." He nodded.

"I know what the doctor said, but doctors can be wrong. And I'm telling you, my favorite moment with daddy hasn't happened yet."

"Ethan, I know it's hard to let go of dad, but you have to list…" He cut her off.

"No, Sydney." He sounded neither sad, nor angry, but remained calm. "My favorite moment with daddy hasn't happened yet. When it does, I'll let you know."

Caitie and Maddie looked at their brother and he looked at them. None of them said anything. They just sat there looking at each other in the eyes.

Sydney and Nadia looked at their siblings, and then at each other. With their eyes they asked each other what was going on between the triplets, but they both shrugged. They didn't have a clue. They kept looking at them, and stared a little wide eyed when the triplets started to smile simultaneously a little. Sydney and Nadia looked at each other again, not knowing what to think of what just happened.

They all remained silent for a while after that, but then Maddie broke the silence.

"One of my favorite memories with daddy is when we're at the cabin at Christmas, and we're out playing in the snow. I love when we built a snowman with daddy." Everyone smiled. "I'm looking forward to us doing that again with him this year." Caitie smiled.

"I'm looking forward to that too. And also to daddy reading a story in front of the fireplace." Sydney and Nadia shook their heads in disbelief at what they were hearing. Nadia hugged Caitie and Maddie closer.

"We all want dad to live. But we all have to be realistic and realize that he most likely won't."

"We are being realistic, Nadia." Nadia looked over at Ethan. "Daddy will live. You'll see."

"Ethan, you don't know that."

"Yes, I do Sydney. I know it in here." He put his hand on his heart. "I can feel that daddy won't die." Sydney and Nadia had to bite their bottom lip to stop themselves from crying. They didn't have the heart to try to convince their siblings that their father would die, so they kept quiet leaving them to their beliefs. Sydney kissed Ethan's head.

"Okay, if you say so, sweetie." Caitie looked at Ethan and Maddie.

"We should probably tell mommy that daddy's going to be fine." Maddie nodded.

"I think, she'd like that even if she can't hear us at the moment." Ethan nodded and got off Sydney's lap. Caitie and Maddie got off Nadia's lap, and the three of them left the room. Once they left Sydney and Nadia started crying.

"I can't believe they think dad's going to be okay."

"I can't either, but could it be that they're right?" Sydney looked at Nadia. "Syd, I can't say goodbye to dad. I can't. I've had too little time with him. I want more. I know what dad's been through, and know that the doctor's probably right, but at the same time I want to believe that Ethan is right. You told me once that on the train in Sovogda mom told you I was alive even though you'd seen me be tackled by all those people, who had been infected. Could it be that Ethan has inherited something similar to that? I know it's not the same like with mom and that, that particular case could just be because of the Rambaldi prophecy. But is it possible that he's actually able to somehow see that dad's going to live?"

"I don't know. He seems really sure, and I want to believe him too, but I just don't know. Dad's been through so much and he's only gotten worse. I would think that if he was going to make it that he would've gotten better by now. I just don't know what I'm going to do if I start believing that he'll live, and it turns out that dad has died during the night. But maybe believing that dad will be alright is our last resort." Sydney looked at her father. "Dad, I love you. If there's anyway for you to hear me, please know that we believe in you. You're stronger than life itself. Your time is not up yet. You have to pull through. You have to find the strength to pull through. You have it in you to do that, so find it."

"Dad, I love you too. We all love you and we can't live without you. So find that strength we know you have and fight. Fight." They stayed silent for a long time before Nadia looked at Sydney. "I know that we should probably sleep in here, if we're going to believe that dad's going to be okay. But in case it turns out the way the doctor think it will, I don't think I could bear to witness him flatline. I know I'm horrible for saying that, but I just can't watch him die." Sydney nodded.

"I know. I wouldn't be able to watch that either. And in case Ethan isn't right, I think it's best that we're not in here. I would hate to think what it'll do to them if it turns out, they're wrong. We'll all sleep in the waiting room."

"Good."

They stayed in the room for a while longer alone before they were joined by Vaughn, Eric, Dixon, and Marshall. Vaughn went to stand by Sydney's chair, and Eric went to stand by Nadia's chair.

"Did you say goodbye?"

"No, we couldn't."

"Ethan said that Jack's not going to die. He said something about feeling it in his heart."

"Yeah, he told us that. Maddie and Caitie believe that too. We've started to believe it a little too. We know that it's probably insane to believe that, but right now all we can do is hope." Eric kissed Nadia's head.

"It's not insane to hope."

"We've decided to all sleep in the waiting room. We haven't talked it over with the triplets yet, but we think it's best, in case dad does die during the night. We don't want them to see that if it happens, and we wouldn't be able to watch it either."

"I think that's a wise decision."

A few minutes later the triplets came back into Jack's room.

"Mommy's still sleeping."

"We said goodnight to her."

"Speaking of sleep. Sydney and I think it would be nice if we all slept in the waiting room together. Would you like that?" Ethan nodded.

"Yeah that would be nice." Maddie and Caitie nodded, and Sydney and Nadia smiled, glad that it hadn't been hard to convince them.

"It's getting late, so maybe we should turn in."

"Yeah, I think we could all use the rest." Sydney swallowed, and then did her best to smile. "Say goodnight to dad." Caitie walked closer.

"Goodnight daddy. I love you." Maddie was next.

"I love you too, daddy. Goodnight." Then it was Ethan's turn.

"See you tomorrow, daddy. Goodnight. I love you."

Sydney and Nadia bit down on their lip when Ethan said he'd be seeing their father the next day. They tried their best to believe that they would. Nadia was next in line to say goodnight.

"I love you, dad. Goodnight." Sydney was the last one.

"Goodnight dad. I love you."

They stood looking at Jack for a few minutes before gathering the triplets' things and leaving the room. Vaughn, Eric, Dixon, and Marshall took the triplets to the waiting room, while Sydney and Nadia went to their mother's room. Once in there, they stood watching her for a little while. Nadia shook her head.

"I wish mom had taken better care of herself. If dad dies tonight and she's not there, I hate to think what it'll do to her. She won't have had the chance to say goodbye."

"I guess we just have to believe more strongly that what Ethan said will come true."

"Yeah, you're right." Nadia gave her mother a kiss. "Goodnight mom. I love you." Sydney did the same.

"I love you too, mom. Goodnight." They left the room and went to bed.

* * *

In the middle of the night Irina woke up. She was a bit confused where she was and what had happened. But she quickly remembered everything, and became more awake, though, she was still a bit groggy. She sat up slowly, looking around in the room. She realized that she wasn't in Jack's room and that she was alone. She needed to see him, and was about to get out of bed when she noticed the IV in her arm. She knew that she should probably keep it in, because it gave her the nourishment she had been lacking due to not eating and drinking. But she also knew that it would prevent her from seeing Jack. She wasn't going to let anything or anyone stop her from seeing him, so she took it out, and made a promise to herself and her children that she would eat and drink properly.

Her legs were a bit shaky when she tried to stand, so she had to sit back down for a while. She took a couple of deep breaths and the second time she tried to stand, she felt better. She walked slowly to the door and walked out into the hall. She noticed the desk outside Jack's door where a nurse usually sat. No one was there at the moment, and she was a bit worried about that. Not wanting to think the worst, she continued out into the hall.

She went to the waiting room and looked through the windows. She smiled when she saw the triplets sleeping on mattresses with Sydney on one side of them, and Nadia on the other. Vaughn was spooned against Sydney, and Eric was spooned against Nadia. Dixon and Marshall were sleeping on two of the couches. Her smile faded a little. The triplets had spent every night in their father's room, but now they were here and she didn't know what to make of it. She bit down on her lip and started to walk towards Jack's room hoping she wasn't too late.

When she got to his door, her hand was shaking as she reached out for the doorknob. She steadied herself and took a couple of deep breaths preparing herself for the worst before opening the door. She smiled through her tears when she saw that Jack was still alive. After closing the door quietly behind her, she walked over to his bed and sat in the chair she'd been sitting in every night. She smiled at him.

"Hi sweetheart. I'm sorry I left. I didn't want to, but it's not like I had a choice." Her smile faded and she started to cry even more. "I'm sorry, Jack. I didn't mean to yell at you. It's just that you can't die. You just can't. I know I left you for a total of more than twenty years, but if you leave you can't come back. You'll be gone forever." She put her head in her hands and started sobbing. "Please don't leave me. Don't leave. I need you. I'm not strong without you." She looked at him. "I can't even sleep properly when you're not by my side, so how do you expect me to live without you. I love you, Jack. I love you so much. Please don't let this be how it ends for us. Please don't let it."

She wanted to crawl into bed with him, and just hold him close and kiss him. This would be her last time to do that, if he died during the night. But she couldn't get herself to do it. The doctor's words were too much embedded in her mind. She couldn't even bring herself to touch him just a little even though the doctor had agreed to light feathery touches. Instead she put her face back in her hands and continued sobbing.

* * *

The next morning the doctor walked into Jack's room. He saw Irina silently sitting there watching Jack. She wasn't crying at the moment, but from her puffy eyes the doctor could tell that she had been. He walked closer and looked at her.

"Mrs. Bristow, you belong in your bed." She kept her eyes on Jack.

"No, I belong by my husband."

"You need to take care of yourself."

"What I need is my husband." Feeling like he wouldn't be able to convince her to take care of herself, he sighed and let it go.

"I'm just going to examine your husband."

Irina bit her bottom lip at the thought of the doctor touching Jack. The tears started to fall a little again, and she nodded.

"Okay." The doctor nodded and started the examination.

Irina held her breath every time the doctor touched Jack, but she never looked at the doctor. Not even when he took longer to examine Jack and comparing the results.

"I don't believe it." Now she looked at the doctor curious about the surprised tone in his voice.

"What is it?" The doctor looked at her.

"Well, given the fact that I was surprised that I hadn't heard your husband flatline during the night, I'm even more surprised now. I've just compared the results from now to the ones from yesterday, and your husband is actually doing a little better." Irina gaped and then smiled a little.

"He's doing better?"

"Yes, a little bit. I don't want you to get your hopes up too much. It's too early to tell if this means anything. He could still die." Irina smiled a little more, but wanted to be reassured.

"But he's doing better?" The doctor smiled back a little.

"Yes surprisingly, he's doing better." She smiled more and looked at Jack again.

"Did you hear that, sweetheart? You're doing better. Now you just have to make it all the way. And I know you can do it. I know you can."

"Mrs. Bristow, there's still no guarantee that he'll make it." She looked back at the doctor.

"You thought that he would die during the night, but were surprised that he's still alive, and even doing better. I think that proves how strong my husband is. You might not think that the fact that he's doing a little better is guarantee enough that he'll make it, but I do. Since he's not dead yet, I know he won't die." The doctor sighed.

"Very well. You're allowed to think what you will. But just keep in mind that he could still die." Irina didn't respond to what he said, and he sighed again. "I don't know how much longer your family will be sleeping, but should I have breakfast send up?" She smiled and nodded.

"Yes, I think that'll be a good idea. And I'll wake them up now. It's time they got up anyway."

"Okay. And you'll make sure to eat this time?" She nodded.

"Yes, I'll make sure to eat." He nodded and left. She looked at Jack again and smiled. "I'm going to wake everyone and tell them the good news, and then we're going to have breakfast in here." She stood up and wanted to give him a kiss, but the doctor's words were still embedded in her mind even though Jack was doing better. Instead she just looked at him for another few seconds before leaving.

* * *

When she got to the waiting room everyone was still sleeping. She stood outside just looking in on them before walking in. When she was inside she squatted down by the mattresses and gently shook the triplets, Sydney, and Nadia. Caitie woke up first.

"Mommy." She got up off the mattress and hugged her mother. Everyone else woke up too and Maddie and Ethan also hugged their mother.

"Mommy, are you okay?" Irina smiled at Maddie.

"Yes, I'm fine, sweetheart. I'm sorry if I made you worry. I was just too worried about daddy to worry about myself." Sydney and Nadia looked at their mother a little worried.

"Mom, do you know how things are with dad? Do you know if he's…." She shook her head.

"No, Sydney. Your father's not dead. The doctor just examined him, and he's actually doing a little better." Sydney, Nadia, Vaughn, Eric, Dixon, and Marshall were a little stunned at first, but then smiled in relief.

"Really, mom?" Irina smiled even more.

"Really, Nadia. The doctor said not to get our hopes up, because it might mean nothing. But we all know how strong he is. I've no doubt that he'll make it."

"I don't doubt that either, mommy." Irina smiled at Ethan, and Sydney and Nadia couldn't help but look at each other thinking about what Ethan had said the night before.

"Breakfast is being send up to your father's room. I thought we could all eat there."

"That's sounds like a good idea. Will you promise to eat this time?" Irina nodded at Nadia.

"Yes, I'll eat."

* * *

They all got up and changed before going to Jack's room. Sydney and Nadia were relieved when they saw their father. Hearing he was still alive was one thing, but seeing it with their own eyes was something else. They all said good morning to him, and then sat down to eat when the food arrived. Everyone was happy to see that Irina was eating and that she finished everything on her plate.

They spent the rest of the morning playing games and drawing, and after lunch everyone went out for a walk with the exception of Irina. Sydney and Nadia felt that it would've been good for her to get out and get some air, but also felt better leaving her since she'd eaten breakfast and lunch.

When everyone got back the rest of the afternoon and evening were spent the same way the morning was, and after dinner the doctor examined Jack again. To his surprise Jack was doing better than when he had examined him that morning.

The triplets slept in Jack's room with Irina, and when Sydney and Nadia were about to leave to get some sleep, they looked at their mother.

"Mom, will you make sure to get some sleep?"

"It's great that you're eating again, but you also need to sleep."

"I promise I'll try to sleep. I might not sleep on the mattress, but I'll try to get some sleep in the chair."

"I would be best if you slept on the mattress."

"I know, but I also want to be as close to your father as possible." Sydney and Nadia couldn't help but smile at that.

"Okay mom. Goodnight."

"Goodnight mom."

"Goodnight girls."

When they left Irina sat watching Jack for a while. She then talked to him for a while, and after that she went to get a blanket and a pillow. She made herself comfortable in the chair, and then talked to Jack some more before attempting to get some sleep.

* * *

The next morning when everyone joined Irina and the triplets in Jack's room, Sydney and Nadia were happy to see that their mother was sitting with a blanket and a pillow. They walked closer.

"Did you sleep, mom?"

"Not much, but a little bit."

"That's good to hear." The triplets woke up and Ethan went to Jack's bed.

"Happy 4th of July, daddy." He looked around at everyone else. "Happy 4th of July."

"Happy 4th of July to you too."

"So, since we won't be celebrating like we usually do, is there anything specific you'd like to do today?" The triplets looked around at each other and then shook their heads.

"No, not really. We just want to be with daddy."

"We'll do that then."

Shortly after, Dixon and Marshall went to get breakfast for everyone, and half an hour after they'd eaten the doctor came and examined Jack. He shook his head in disbelief.

"It's amazing. Mr. Bristow is doing better. A lot better than yesterday and a lot better than he was when he came out of surgery. I'm still not going to say that he'll make it, and I still advice you not to touch him. But things are definitely looking a lot better."

"That's great."

"Is there anything I can do for you? It's the 4th of July, so is there any way I can make the day a little special for you? We can have a TV and a DVD-player brought up. I'm sure we have some movies you can all watch."

"That would nice."

"Then I'll arrange it. Although dinner is hours away, I can arrange for you to have something from a restaurant."

"We don't want you to go to any trouble."

"It's no trouble at all."

"Then thank you. That would be nice."

"You're welcome. I'll go and get the TV and DVD-player."

They spent all day watching TV, movies, and playing games. Some time after dinner Vaughn looked at his watch.

"We should probably call home. I think everyone's up by now."

"We should tell the kids that we're staying away longer. I don't think they'll like that, but I don't want to go home until we know for sure what's going to happen to dad."

"So far they've been pretty okay with us being away. I think that as long as we talk to them every day, they're going to be fine." Irina smiled at Nadia.

"I'm sure they will." Caitie looked at Irina.

"Can we call home and talk to aunt Katya, uncle Sergei, and uncle Kendall?"

"Absolutely." She looked around at everyone. "Why don't we all call home and then have some ice-cream after we're done?"

"That sounds like a good idea."

* * *

The kids at home were happy to hear from their parents again. They weren't too happy with their parents having to be gone longer than they'd thought, but were also happy that they heard from them every day.

Everyone else at home was happy to hear that Jack was doing better. Katya was still her happy self, and although Kendall wasn't too pleased with it, he wasn't too frustrated about it now that Jack was doing better.

Back at the hospital everyone had ice-cream and when it was time for the triplets to go to sleep, Irina told them a story. Everyone stayed for a while longer in Jack's room before going to bed. Irina stayed in the chair during the night and slept a little bit on and off.

The following day went much the same way as the other days. Everyone played games throughout most of the day, and everyone except for Irina went for a walk. Jack was examined twice by the doctor and each time he was doing better to the doctor's surprise. Irina ate everything that was served to her at every meal, but still stayed in the chair during the night. She slept as much as she could, which was a little more than the night before.

The day after that, everyone had breakfast in Jack's room as usual. Everyone but Irina went out for a walk after breakfast, and after having lunch in Jack's room they all stayed there to play games. In the middle of the afternoon everyone was playing a board game when Ethan looked over at his father. He saw Jack's hand move a little and he smiled. Then he turned his head and looked at everyone else.

"Look."

Everyone turned to look at Jack and saw his hand move again. They looked at each other and smiled. They got up fast and went to stand by the bed just in time to see Jack open his eyes.

**TBC**


	28. Chapter 28

**SofiaBlackBristow:** Yup, Ethan was right. Jack is alive and with time he's going to be completely fine. Thank you for loving my story and thank you for reading and commenting - it means so much. :-) Kiss to you too.

**Rishka Derevko:** Thank you for loving it. To help you relax a little I can tell you that Jack's going to be just fine - he'll make a full recovery. I'm glad you've stopped crying. Thank you for reading and commenting - it means so much. :-)

**Margaret-the 1st time:** Thank you so much for reading my stories and for thinking they're awesome. *blush* I'm thrilled to hear that - I'll try to write more on it after chapter 33, but December is a busy month with lots to do. *lol* I'm thrilled to hear that you like Katya and Kendall. You want them to end up together? Hmm I don't know about that - my story exists in my head and I'm not changing the way I want it to go, so you just have to keep reading to see if they do end up together. :-D Aaaawww thank you so much for saying that - you're much too kind. *blush* Thank you and I wish you a good Holiday too. Thank you for reading and commenting - it means so much. :-)

* * *

**Chapter 28**

Jack blinked a few times and groaned a little. Irina, Sydney, and Nadia started to cry, but for the first time in a long time they cried tears of joy. The rest of them smiled at Jack.

"Hi daddy."

Jack tried to turn his head to the sound of his son's voice, but couldn't really manage to do that. Instead he swallowed a few times and tried to talk.

"Hhh….hhh…..hiiii."

Irina wanted to say something, but was too stunned and thrilled at the same time that Jack had woken up. Sydney and Nadia looked at their mother and expected her to say something, but when she didn't say anything, they exchanged glances and Sydney spoke.

"Hi dad. We're all here. Mom, Nadia, Caitie, Maddie, Vaughn, Eric, Marcus, Marshall, and you heard Ethan. Do you remember what happened?" He gave a slight nod. Dixon looked around at everyone.

"I'm just going to tell the nurse to get the doctor." Dixon left and came back into the room a few seconds later.

A couple of minutes later the doctor returned with another doctor and a nurse. He smiled around at everyone before looking at Jack.

"Hello Mr. Bristow. I'm Dr. Benson, and my staff and I have been taking care of you, though you've done the hard part. It's good to see you're awake. It was a close call, and I'm really impressed by your strength. I'm just going to examine you. Now I realize that you're probably exhausted and that you could have trouble talking. That's all perfectly understandable. But I'm sure that if we work together, you'll be able to tell me a few things on how you're feeling. Don't you think?"

"Ye….y….ye….yes."

"Good." The doctor looked around at everyone. "This will take some time. You can wait in the waiting room, or around somewhere. I'll come and find you when we're done."

Irina stood in her place not able to move. Sydney and Nadia exchanged glances again, and Nadia put her hand on her mother's elbow and tugged her towards her. After a few seconds Irina moved and everyone left the room.

Once outside the room Irina stared at the door to Jack's room for a little while, while everyone else was hugging each other. She then buried her face in her hands and started to cry. Sydney and Nadia noticed her and went to hug her. Irina put her arms around them and buried her head in their shoulders.

"Mom, dad's awake. I'm sure he's going to be fine." It took a few moments for Irina to respond.

"I know. I know. It's just overwhelming to see him finally awake."

"We know, mom."

The triplets walked over to their mother and she hugged them too. Then she hugged Eric and Vaughn, then Dixon and Marshall, and then her children once again. They all started to dry their tears and smiled around at each other.

"I think we should get something to celebrate this happy occasion with. But I think we'll all have to settle for juice and sodas." They all laughed. "I'll just go to the cafeteria and get us all something to drink."

"I'll help."

"Thank you. We'll be in the waiting room." Dixon and Marshall nodded and headed for the cafeteria.

* * *

A little over three hours later everyone was sitting in the waiting room waiting for the doctor. They had spent some of the time talking and were now playing different games. The doctor walked in a few minutes later and everyone got up from their seats. He smiled at them.

"Well, I must admit that I'm very surprised and impressed. I never expected Mr. Bristow to pull through, but he sure proved me wrong, and I'm very happy for all of you."

"How is he?" The doctor looked at Nadia.

"He's still very weak." He looked around at everyone else. "With time he's going to be just fine, but he'll need plenty of rest, and therefore he can still not be subjected to any kind of pressure. We'll have to see how fast he recovers, but I expect him to be here for a few more weeks. He doesn't have much strength at the moment, so I wouldn't put any pressure on him to talk. He's the only one, who can decide how strong he feels and how much he can take, so let him set the pace."

"But he'll be alright? You're certain of that?" He smiled at Sydney.

"Yes, I'm most definitely certain of that. I might not have believed that when he got out of surgery, but I'm certain of it now. Although he's still weak and needs rest, I can safely say that after examining him for the past three hours, he won't die." Everyone smiled back at him and sighed in relief. "I don't know how awake he is right now, but you can go see him, and be in his room as much as you want and just as much as you were before."

Everyone looked around at each other and they hugged again. Maddie tugged on her mother's sleeve and smiled.

"Let's go see daddy." Irina smiled back at her.

"Yes, let's go see daddy."

They all walked back into Jack's room and gathered around his bed. After a few minutes of just watching him, Jack started stirring a little, and his eyes opened a little. Irina didn't say anything and Sydney and Nadia exchanged glances again. When Irina still didn't say anything Sydney spoke.

"Hi, dad. The doctor said you're going to be just fine. We're all fine, so no need to worry about us. You just concentrate on getting better."

"Yes daddy. We're all fine." Jack smiled a little by the sound of Sydney's and Caitie's voices.

"Now you just have to be fine, so that we can all go home." He smiled again by the sound of Maddie's voice.

"I…wwwwiii…wwwwii…wwwwwii.."

"Relax dad. Don't overdue it. The doctor said you should set the pace and that you're the only one, who can decide how much you can take, but there's no reason to pressure yourself to talk. Just relax." Jack nodded slightly at what Nadia said and smiled a little again.

Irina still remained silent just looking at Jack. Sydney and Nadia exchanged glances again, and Vaughn, Eric, Dixon, and Marshall couldn't help but notice that they exchanged glances and that Irina hadn't said anything. Sydney gave Nadia a nod, and Nadia took a step closer to her mother and nudged her, a little, indicating that she should say something. Irina looked at Nadia, and Nadia indicated with her eyes that she should say something. Irina nodded and looked back at Jack.

"Nadia's right, Jack. Just relax." Jack smiled a little again, and nodded slightly. Irina kept looking at him without saying anything else. After a few minutes of silence she looked up and looked around at everyone else. "We should go to the cafeteria and get something to eat. That way Jack can also get his rest."

Sydney and Nadia looked at each other again. They were a bit surprised hearing that their mother wanted to leave their father's side, but realized that she was right. It was dinnertime and their father did need his rest, so maybe a little time alone could do him some good. They were also glad to hear that their mother had suggested that they get something to eat. Sydney looked at her mother and nodded.

"That sounds like a good idea, mom."

"Yeah, I think so too." Irina smiled at Sydney and Nadia.

"Good." She looked at the triplets. "Wouldn't you like to do that too?" They all nodded. She looked back at Jack. "Jack, we're going to the cafeteria to eat, so that we don't disturb you in here. We'll be back later." He gave a slight nod. "Okay, bye." They left the room quietly and went to the cafeteria.

* * *

They ate dinner somewhat in silence. Everyone was relieved that Jack would be alright, but they were too emotionally drained to talk much during dinner. When they were done eating they stayed at the cafeteria and had some coffee. After a while of sitting in silence Nadia looked at her mother.

"We should call home when everyone's awake back home and tell them the good news. We can even tell the kids that we found you and that you're alright. Of course we'll have to tell them that dad's not feeling too good, but as long as they know that you're all safe, I think that'll be alright." Sydney nodded.

"I think that's a great idea." She looked at her mother and smiled. "Mom, you and the triplets will be able to talk to the kids. They would love to hear your voices. What do you think about that?" Irina looked at Sydney and smiled a little.

"Yeah, I think that's a good idea. I would certainly love to talk to them." She looked around at the triplets. "Wouldn't you like to talk to everyone too?"

"Yes that would be great."

"When can we call home?"

"It'll be a few more hours. It's only 5.41 in the morning at home and no one's up yet. It'll be at least two hours before we can call them." The triplets nodded.

"How much can we tell them?"

"Well, it would probably scare them if you told them what really happened. You should probably just tell them that you're alright and leave it at that." Sydney looked around at the triplets.

"We've told them that you were taken by bad men, and I don't think there's any reason to tell them anything other than that. It's the truth anyway. All that matter to them is that you're alright. That's all they need to hear."

"Okay. We can do that." Sydney smiled at them.

"I'm glad."

"What if they ask about daddy? What do we tell them then?"

"We'll handle that. We could probably just tell them that dad's been hurt a little, that he needs his rest, but that he's going to be fine, and that he can't come to the phone at the moment." Sydney looked at everyone else and they nodded.

"Okay." Sydney looked around at everyone again.

"If everyone's done, we should probably head back to dad's room."

"I was thinking that we could get an ice cream first." Sydney looked at her mother surprised.

"Now? You want us to get an ice cream now?"

"It's not late, and we had dinner a little while ago. It'll be dessert. Also, we should celebrate that your father will be fine in any way we can, so you could say that we are celebrating by having ice cream." Sydney nodded and smiled a little.

"Of course, mom."

"Then let's go get an ice cream."

They all got up and walked over to pick the ice cream they wanted. When they'd paid they walked back to the table and sat down to eat it. Irina took her time eating hers and was the last one to finish. Nadia looked at her watch and was surprised to see that a little more than half an hour had passed since they had bought the ice creams. She didn't comment on it but looked at her mother instead and smiled.

"Now that we're all done we can go see dad." Irina was a bit hesitant in giving a response but nodded after a few seconds and smiled a little.

"Yeah sure. Let's go." They all got up and went to Jack's room.

* * *

When they got there Jack was sleeping. They looked at him for a little while before Nadia looked around at everyone.

"Since dad's not awake maybe we could play a game?"

"Yeah, I think that's a good idea."

"Me too." Everyone else nodded too.

"Great. Then let's pick a game from here or one of the ones that are in the waiting room."

"We should probably play it in there." Everyone looked at Irina a little confused.

"Why, mom?"

"So that we don't disturb your father in case we start to shout a little. He needs his rest." Everyone looked around at each other shrugging a little, realizing that she was probably right.

"Yeah, I see your point." Irina smiled a little.

"Let's go then." Irina went over to pick up a few of the games so that they would have something to choose from. She then walked over and opened the door waiting for the others. The triplets walked over to her and the four of them headed for the waiting room.

The rest of them stood in Jack's room for a few seconds looking at each other, not really knowing what to make of Irina's behavior. But they ended up just shrugging and followed the others to the waiting room.

* * *

They played games and had a good time. After playing for an hour and a half Nadia looked at her watch.

"I think we can call home now. Everyone should be up."

"Yes that would be a good idea."

"So how do we do it? Do we each call someone or do we call the number at the safe house?"

"I thought that I could call Katya while one of you calls Sergei and another one calls Kendall. Marshall, you'll of course call Carrie and Marcus, you'll call Hayden, and then maybe someone can call Will or Rachel. I assume most of them are still at the safe house, so we can just talk briefly with them, and then they can put the kids on the phone. We can then get off all the phones except for one and then the phone they use at home can be passed around. Or we can hang up and call the phone at the safe house and everyone can listen in."

"That's sounds like a good plan, mom. I can call Will, and then Nadia can call Sergei. If Kendall hasn't left yet he can listen in on the conversation with Sergei." Sydney looked over at Dixon. "And if he has left then maybe you could call him after you've talked with Hayden?" Dixon nodded.

"Yes, I'll do that."

"Oh wait. What about Stephen and Robin? If Hayden's at work, they can't get on the phone with her."

"If Hayden's at work, I guess Stephen and Robin can listen in on the conversation with Will and Rachel. I can then either call them after I talked to her, or I'll be able to talk with them if we call the phone at the house, so everyone can listen in. And if Kendall's at APO, I can just make a quick call to him before I talk to my kids, and then maybe we can call him again after we talk to everyone at the house."

"Okay, it's a deal. So mom, you'll call Katya, I'll call Sergei and get Kendall on the phone if he's still at the house and then Becky. Sydney, you'll call Will and get Rachel on the phone and then Isabelle and Sarah and possibly Stephen and Robin. Marshall, you'll call Carrie and then get your children on the phone and Marcus, you'll call Hayden and get Stephen and Robin on the phone if she's still at the house and after that call Kendall if he's at APO. Then after we've all had a brief conversation on our own phones, we'll hang up and call the phone at the safe house, so that everyone can listen in. Is everyone onboard with that?"

"Yeah, it sounds great." Everyone else nodded.

"Okay. Let's call home and tell everyone the great news."

"What about us? Who are we going to talk to first?" The triplets looked at their mother.

"Well, one of you can go with Sydney and then talk to Isabelle and Sarah first. The other one can go with Nadia and talk to Becky first, and the last one can go with Marshall and talk to Mitchell, Matthew, Chloe, and Gracie first. Then when we get on the phone with everyone at the same time, you can talk to everyone else, and that's also when I'll be talking to everyone else. How does that sound?"

"It sounds like a good idea, mommy."

"I agree."

"Me too." Irina smiled at them.

"Good. Then let's get started on those phone calls."

* * *

They scattered around the waiting room inside and out in the hall, so that they each would have a little bit of privacy. Irina got on the phone with Katya, and after two rings she picked up.

"_Hello?"_

"Katya, it's me."

"_How are you? Is there any news __on Jack?"_

"Yes that's why I called. He woke up. He finally woke up and the doctor says he's going to be fine."

"_Irina, that's wonderful news."_

"Yes, it is." Irina started to cry. "I can't believe I almost lost him."

"_Irina, it's over. Jack's going to be alright. There's no need to think about what could've happened. All you have to think about is that Jack's going to be fine, and within long you can all come back home."_

"I know, I know." She started to dry her tears. "I know."

"_So other than being happy that Jack woke up, and still worrying about what could've happened, how are you?"_

"I'm fine."

"_Are you still eating properly?"_

"Yes, I am."

"_What about sleep? Do you get enough of that too?"_

"I haven't been able to sleep much, but I sleep as much as I can."

"_You need to take care of yourself. Now that you know Jack will be fine please promise me that you'll take better care of yourself."_

"I will. So, who's at the house? I assume you're there."

"_Yes, I am, and everyone else is here too."_

"So Kendall hasn't left for APO yet, and Hayden is there too?"

"_Jim is just about to leave, and Hayden is almost ready to leave __as well."_

"Then I guess everyone else just caught them on the phone. That's good."

"_What do you mean?"_

"We're calling everyone at the same time, and we're telling all the kids at home that Jack, the triplets, and I, are alright. Now that we know that Jack's going to be fine, we can tell them that we're alright, and that way we can also put the children's minds more at ease."

"_That's a good idea. They'll be happy and relieved to hear that."_

"We're calling the phone at the house in a few minutes, so that all of us can talk to all of you at the same time."

"_It'll be good for them t__o hear your voices again. That will definitely put their minds even more at ease."_

"It'll be good to hear their voices too."

Irina and Katya talked for a few minutes more before Sydney came and found her mother.

"Mom?"

"Hang on, Katya." Irina took the phone away from her ear, and looked in Sydney's direction. "Yes, sweetheart?"

"We're ready to call the phone at the house, and the kids are anxious to talk to you. But if you need a few more minutes to talk to Katya, we can wait." Irina smiled at Sydney.

"No, I'm ready to call the house. If I need to talk to Katya alone, I can just call her later." Sydney smiled back.

"Okay. I'll just go and tell the others. We'll be in the waiting room."

"I'll be right there." Sydney left and Irina got back on the phone with Katya. "Katya, we're ready to call the house, so I'm hanging up now."

"_Talk to you in a few seconds then."_ They both laughed a little.

"Yeah, bye."

"_Bye."_

Irina hung up the phone and walked back into the waiting room. She sat down on one of the couches with Maddie in her lap, Caitie on one side of her, and Nadia on her other side. When everyone was settled Sydney called the safe house.

"_Hello? Grandma, are you there?"_ Irina smiled at Isabelle's voice.

"Yes, I'm here, sweetheart."

"_Hi grandma. We missed you."_

"_I missed you too."_

"_Me too." _She smiled when she heard Sarah and Becky's voices too.

"I've missed you too. So much. How are you?"

"_We're better now that you, grandpa, Maddie, Ethan, and Caitie are okay and safe."_

"_Mommy said that grandpa's been hurt, but that he's going to be fine."_

"Yes, that's right."

"_Is he still resting, or can he talk now?"_

"No, grandpa can't come to the phone right now. It'll probably be a while before you can talk to him."

"_Oh."_

"_But he's really okay and safe?"_

"Yes, he's just fine. He just needs plenty of rest. I'll make sure you talk to him when he's up for it."

"_Okay."_

"_When are you coming home?"_

"I don't know when we'll be coming home. Grandpa has to stay in hospital for a while. It might take a few weeks before he's allowed to leave."

"_What about you, mommy? Do you and daddy have to be away for that long?"_ Sydney and Vaughn looked at each other. The two of them and Nadia and Eric looked at Irina, and she nodded.

"We'll more than likely be home in a few days. There's nothing we can do for grandpa to make him get better sooner, so we'll be coming home soon."

"_You're coming home soon too, right daddy?"_ Marshall smiled.

"Yes, Matthew, I'll be home soon."

"The only ones, who'll be staying until Jack can come home, are Maddie, Caitie, Ethan, and I. And before you know it, we'll be home too."

"_Because grandpa is strong."_ Everyone smiled.

"Yes, that's right."

They talked to everyone back home for almost two hours, but then decided that it was time to hang up, since it was getting late in India.

"_Say hi to grandpa and tell him we miss him, and that we're glad that he's okay."_

"We will."

"_Give him a kiss too."_

"We'll do that too."

"_And tell him that we love him."_

"We will remember to tell him that too."

"_We love you too, grandma."_

"I love you too. I love all of you."

The phone was passed around, so that everyone could say goodbye. After a few minutes they hung up the phone. Everyone stood up and stretched.

"We should get to bed. I think we could all use the rest, and it's getting quite late."

"Yeah, that's a good idea."

"Then let's move the triplet's stuff back into dad's room."

"It'll be better if we all sleep here." Everyone looked at Irina a little confused.

"Why, mom?"

"Because, if any of us, need to go to the bathroom at night, we might wake your father, and he doesn't need to be disturbed by us. He should get as much rest as he can." Everyone looked around at each other not really sure what to think of it, but realized that Irina made a good point.

"Of course. That makes sense."

"Why don't you go in and say goodnight to your father, and I'll get things set up in here?"

"Okay, mom. We'll bring your stuff in here."

"Thank you."

When they got to Jack's room, he was awake a little. Vaughn, Eric, Dixon, and Marshall said a quick goodnight, gathered Irina's things, and then left. Sydney, Nadia, and the triplets stood around the bed.

"Hi daddy. We're going to sleep in the waiting room so that we don't wake you, in case we have to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night."

"We talked to everyone at home. They said to tell you that they miss you and that they're glad you're okay."

"They also told us to tell you that they all love you." Jack smiled a little.

"Dad, they were so happy to hear that you were all okay, and they can't wait to talk to you."

"We told them it might take a few days before that happens, so you just take it easy, and don't push yourself to get better because you think that you have to talk to them. You'll have plenty of time to talk to them." He gave a slight nod.

"We should let you get your rest. We just came to say goodnight. Goodnight, dad."

"Goodnight, dad."

Sydney and Nadia walked towards the door and stood there waiting for the triplets. Ethan looked at them and smiled.

"You can go ahead. We'll be right there." They smiled back.

"Okay." They left and Ethan leaned closer to his father's head.

"Everyone back home told us to give you a kiss too." He gave his father a light feathery kiss on the cheek. "That was from me too." Jack smiled a little. Caitie leaned closer too, and also gave him a light feathery kiss on the cheek.

"And that was from everyone and me. Goodnight, daddy. I love you." He smiled again.

"I'm next." Jack smiled at Maddie's voice and received a light feathery kiss on the cheek from her too. "I love you, daddy. Sweet dreams."

"And I love you too, daddy. Goodnight, sleep tight, and don't let the bedbugs bite." The triplets giggled and Jack smiled a little more.

"Mommy will be in here to say goodnight in a minute." Jack gave a slight nod.

"See you tomorrow, daddy." He nodded again and the triplets left.

A few minutes later Irina walked into Jack's room. She stepped a few feet into the room and stood looking at him without saying anything. Then she took a deep breath and put on a smile before walking all the way up to the bed.

"Hi. The kids said they told you that we called home and that we told the grandkids that we're alright. You should've heard them. They were so happy, and soon you'll be able to hear them yourself." He nodded a little and smiled a little too. "Well, I should let you get your rest. I just came to say goodnight." She looked at him and wanted to touch and kiss him. But she also remembered what the doctor had said when Jack was still in a coma. She couldn't get passed the warning that if she touched him he could die. Instead of touching him, she decided to let him get his rest. "Goodnight Jack." He gave a slight nod and she left.

* * *

The next morning the triplets walked into Jack's room to see if he was awake. They smiled at their father when they saw him open his eyes a little.

"Good morning, daddy."

"Morning, daddy."

"Hi daddy. Morning."

"Hhh…hhi."

"We're going to the cafeteria soon to get breakfast. Can we get you anything?"

"Wa….waaater."

"Okay. I'll just go and get the nurse." Maddie left, and a few moments later she returned with the nurse.

"Good morning, Mr. Bristow. Your daughter said that you'd like some water?"

"Ye…yesss."

"I'll just go and get it. I'll tell the doctor that you're awake, so he will more than likely be here soon to check on you."

"O..kkay."

The nurse left and a few seconds later Irina and everyone else walked into Jack's room. Irina looked at the triplets and Jack a little alarmed.

"What's wrong? We just saw the nurse leave."

"Nothing's wrong, mommy. Daddy's just thirsty, so she going to get him some water." Irina breathed out a silent sigh of relief.

"Okay." She walked closer to Jack's bed as did everyone else. "Morning, Jack."

"Mmm…morning."

"Morning, dad."

"Good morning, dad."

"Hh…hhi."

"You sound better today, dad." Jack nodded slightly.

"We decided to get breakfast in the cafeteria. After that we'll come back here." He nodded again. "But we'll just wait to leave until the nurse comes back."

"When we come back we'll tell you about everything we've bought since we've been here."

"And about all the drawings we've made."

"And about all the games we've played." Irina walked up behind the triplets.

"We don't want to talk daddy's ears off so soon after he's woken up. He still needs his rest, so that he can recover completely." The triplets nodded. "We'll tell him about everything little by little."

A few seconds later the nurse came back into the room with water.

"Good morning, everyone." Everyone said a 'good morning' and nodded, and the nurse walked over to Jack. "Here's your water, Mr. Bristow." She put the straw in his mouth, and Jack drank some of the water. "Would you like more?"

"N..no…thh..thanks."

"Okay. I'll just put the water here, and place the call-button in your hand in case you want more, and your family is not here to help you." Jack nodded and she placed the button in his hand. "The doctor will be here in a few minutes." He nodded again and she left. Nadia looked at her mother.

"Maybe we should wait to leave until after the doctor arrives." Irina gave a slight nod.

"Sure. We can do that."

The few minutes before the doctor arrived were spent mostly in silence. When he arrived everyone turned to look in his direction. He smiled at them.

"Good morning, all." Irina smiled back.

"Good morning." Everyone else greeted him as well, and he walked over to Jack.

"Good morning, Mr. Bristow."

"Mmorning."

"You certainly sound better than yesterday. I'm just going to examine you." Jack nodded and the doctor turned to look at everyone else. "Will you be here for the examination?" Irina shook her head.

"No. We're going to the cafeteria to get breakfast."

"That sounds like a good idea. I'll probably be done before you come back, so I'll just come find you."

"Okay. Thank you." The doctor nodded and Irina looked at everyone else. "Let's go eat breakfast." They left and headed for the cafeteria.

* * *

While they were eating breakfast the doctor came down to the cafeteria to talk to them. He told them that Jack was doing better. He still didn't have much strength, but his speech was stronger, and he was doing better than the day before.

After they'd eaten breakfast they went back to Jack's room. They spent the time talking a little bit to him about what they'd been doing during the time they'd been at the hospital, and he responded a little with short answers.

When lunch came around they went to the cafeteria again, and after Irina suggested that they go for a walk around town. Since Jack would be resting anyway, she thought it would be a good idea for them all to go out and get some fresh air. No one thought there was anything strange about that, so they all agreed.

When they got back from their walk they went back to Jack's room. He was sleeping, so they went to the waiting room and played some games for a while. An hour later they walked back to Jack's room. He was awake, so they went in there to talk to him until it was dinnertime.

When dinnertime came around they went back to the cafeteria.

"So, now that dad's going to be alright, I was thinking that maybe it's time for all of us to head home. Everyone except you, mom, and the triplets." Irina looked at Sydney and nodded a little. "The kids miss us, and we miss them. It would be different if we didn't know what would happen with dad, but we do. There's also not really much for us to do here." Irina nodded again.

"No, you're right. You should go home."

"Well, we would have to make arrangements first, and get a plane here, so I don't think we'll be leaving tomorrow. But maybe the day after tomorrow?" She looked around at Vaughn, Nadia, Eric, Dixon, and Marshall. They all nodded.

"Yeah, I think that's a good idea, Syd."

"It would probably also be good for me to get home soon. I can't very well let Kendall take care of all the work alone. I can call him later and make the arrangements."

"Would it be alright with you, if we went home?" Sydney and at Nadia looked at the triplets. They nodded.

"Yes, absolutely."

"We have mommy and daddy, so we'll be alright."

"There are people at home, who need you more than us." Everyone smiled at the triplets.

"Okay. Then we'll make the arrangements."

* * *

They stayed at the cafeteria for a while longer before going back to Jack's room. He was awake when they got back. They talked to him, but also played cards quietly. Later they called home to talk to everyone, and when they'd done that they stayed in Jack's room until it was time for bed.

Vaughn, Eric, Dixon, and Marshall said a quick goodnight and left the room with Irina, who went to get the waiting room ready for sleep. Sydney, Nadia, and the triplets stayed in Jack's room to say goodnight to him. Maddie was first.

"Goodnight daddy." She gave him a kiss on the cheek. Sydney and Nadia looked at each other, and then looked back at their father in time to see Caitie giving him a kiss on the cheek.

"Goodnight daddy." Sydney and Nadia looked at each other again and smiled.

"Goodnight daddy." Ethan also gave his father a kiss on the cheek, and Jack smiled a little just like he'd done with Maddie and Caitie.

Sydney was the next to say goodnight to Jack, and she followed her siblings' example, and also gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"Goodnight dad." Nadia was last and she also gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"Goodnight dad." Jack continued to smile.

"G..goodnight." They left the room just as Irina entered. They exchanged smiles, and she walked over to Jack's bed.

"The beds have been taken care of, so I just came to say goodnight." She wanted to reach out and touch him, but she didn't. Instead she just smiled a little at Jack. "Goodnight Jack. See you tomorrow." Jack smiled a little.

"G..goodnight."

She watched him for a few seconds more before leaving the room. When she'd left Jack's smile faded. He wished she'd given him a kiss too.

* * *

The next morning Sydney, Nadia, and the triplets walked into their father's room first. They smiled when they saw that he was awake, and that his eyes were more open than they'd been since he woke up.

"Good morning, dad." He turned his head a little, so that he could look at them better, and he smiled.

"Mmorning."

"Can we get you anything, dad?"

"Wa..water..th..thanks." Nadia poured him some water, and put the straw in his mouth. He drank a lot of it. "Thank you."

"You look better today."

"I feel better." He smiled a little more. "A little." Everyone laughed a little.

"That's good to hear. And you sound better too." He nodded.

"We're going to get breakfast in the cafeteria, but everyone else should be here in a few seconds to say good morning."

"Okay."

A few seconds later everyone walked into the room. They smiled too when they saw that Jack looked much better than he'd done since he woke up, and that his eyes were more open.

"Good morning, Jack. You look much better today."

"Morning, Marcus."

"You sound better too."

"Yeah."

Irina smiled a little and walked closer.

"Hi."

"Hi."

"We're just going to the cafeteria to get breakfast. We'll tell the nurse that you're awake."

"Thanks."

"We'll be back in a little while. Bye."

"Okay. Bye."

They left and went to the cafeteria to get breakfast. The doctor came to see them, and told them that Jack was doing much better than the day before. He was still weak, and not ready to sit up yet, but it was an improvement that his speech was so strong already.

* * *

When they were done with breakfast they went back to Jack's room. He was awake, so they stayed there and talked to him since he was able to talk more.

When it was time for lunch they went to the cafeteria again, and told Jack that after they'd eaten they'd go for a walk and maybe do a little bit of shopping.

They got back from their walk in the middle of the afternoon. Jack was still awake, so they decided to have coffee in his room. Irina looked at the triplets.

"Will you help me get the coffee from the cafeteria?"

"Of course, mommy."

"I'll help too."

"Thanks Marshall."

When they left Jack looked around at everyone else.

"So, how did you find us?"

"Sark helped us." Jack looked at Sydney surprised.

"What? But Sark was in on it with Sloane and Cuvee."

"No, he wasn't. He stopped working with Sloane about a year after Mongolia."

"Then how come he was working with them?"

"They forced him to. When Sark left Sloane, Sloane swore he'd get his revenge on him, and he did about three months ago when he and Cuvee kidnapped Sark's girlfriend and their daughter. They told him that he had to help in kidnapping all of you if he ever wanted to see his family again. If he didn't follow their orders his family would be killed." Jack stared dumbfounded.

"His what?" Everyone chuckled a little.

"Yeah, we were surprised too. But apparently he met a woman some months after leaving Sloane and fell in love with her right on the spot. After a few weeks of dating her he told her everything about his life, and she helped him turn his life around for the better."

"He's lived a crime free life for the last four years."

"That's really hard to believe considering everything he's done to us over the years."

"Yes, it is, but he really is genuine." Jack nodded slightly.

"Well, I certainly am happy that he was able to help. But just how did that happen if his family was still kidnapped?"

"One day Sloane and Cuvee went away for the day. Before they left Sark convinced them that he had changed sides, and that he wanted to help them for real."

"He asked them to let him go and get the last documents needed for brainwashing the triplets, and while doing that he also asked for a few days off. In order for Sloane and Cuvee not to get suspicious he suggested that he'd be accompanied by guards. Naturally they were reluctant at first, but bought into his story and let him go."

"Sloane and Cuvee left before he did, and he told the guards that they were not leaving for several hours. All the time he'd been with Sloane and Cuvee, he'd been locked in a room and only been let out whenever they needed him, so he had gotten to know his way around the vents. He had found their office this way, and when he was sure he was alone, he crawled through the vent to their office."

"He knew the combination to the safe, and found yours and mom's phones there. He took my number from your phone, which is how he got in contact with us. The other documents for brainwashing the triplets were also in there, and he took them with him. When he'd gotten that, he looked around on their computer and in the drawers and found out where his family was and also found the satellite readings of the prison, so that we would know how to get you out."

"He also took a gun with him, and he used that to kill the guards that were with him in the car. Once he was on his own in the car and on a busy road, he got a team ready and told them where his family was. He got his family safe first before calling us. With the help of the satellite readings we started working out a rescue mission."

"I thought it seemed like we were kept in the dark longer than usual one day." He remembered sitting in the darkness haunted by the DVDs and the empty expression he'd seen in Irina's eyes as they'd been forced to watch the DVDs of Cuvee having fun with her. He closed his eyes for a brief moment wanting the horrible images to go away. "So what happened to the documents for brainwashing the triplets? Did Sark give you those?"

"No, he destroyed them. He videotaped himself destroying the documents he took from Kashmir, and sent us that video. We could conclude that the documents were real."

"What about the last documents he told Sloane and Cuvee he would get?"

"The meeting was already set up and he couldn't change that. That's why we weren't able to get to you sooner. When he contacted us it would be about seventy hours before he could get those. He wanted to get them, so in case anything went wrong and Sloane and Cuvee got away, they wouldn't be able to get them. He destroyed them as well, and sent us a video of him destroying them."

"We really wish we could've gotten to you sooner." Jack nodded and smiled a little.

"I know you do. But I'm also no stranger to planning missions. Everything needed to be in order before you could come get us. Everything needed to be planned in perfect detail for you to pull off the mission successfully. And you did. We're all safe and alive, and the documents are destroyed and will no longer be a problem." Everyone smiled.

"At least now everything is alright." Jack smiled a little too, but then his smile faded.

"So I know what happened to Cuvee, but what happened to Sloane? Did you get him? Either dead or alive?" Everyone looked around at each other not really knowing how to break the news or who should do it. "You're all being very quiet. I take it, it's not good news." They smiled a little at how they were not good at hiding the bad news. Finally Dixon answered him.

"I'm sorry, Jack, but Sloane got away. Apparently we were spotted, probably from a window, and he blocked the satellite signal so that we lost the readings. We knew where the garage was, so my team stayed there to see if he came from that side. He did, but he had too many guards to help him, and some of them were able to help him get away. He also got away in a bulletproofed car, so there was no way for us to stop him. We were under heavy fire, so it took a long time for us to get Marshall to the office, so that he could fix the satellite signal. Once he did, Sloane was long gone, and we haven't heard anything about his whereabouts since." Jack sighed deeply frustrated.

"Damn it."

"Yeah, we all wish the result had been better. The only good thing we can tell you is that Sloane got another bullet in his already injured knee. Marshall made sure of that." Jack smiled a little.

"Good for Marshall."

"Yeah. We can only hope that, that will slow Sloane down, and either kill him or make him stay in hiding forever."

"We also took DNA samples of Cuvee, just to make sure that he was not a product of Project Helix. But he was the real deal, and you killed him, so he will no longer be a problem, and he was buried under the ruins of the prison." Jack's smiled left his face and his voice turned low and icy.

"Good."

Chills ran down everyone's spine. They all remembered the video they'd seen of Cuvee having fun with Irina when Dixon and Marshall came down to the basement at the prison. They'd all only seen a glimpse of it, and they couldn't bear to think that Jack and Irina had been forced to watch more than a glimpse.

Sydney and Vaughn could also vividly remember the sight that met them when they reached the basement. Had Jack not been able to get free and kill Cuvee, they would've walked in on the live show of what they saw on the video. Everyone felt the same after having heard that Sydney and Vaughn found Irina tied to the desk.

Everyone stayed silent for a few minutes not really knowing what to say. Eric finally broke the silence.

"So that's how we knew where you were." Jack nodded.

A few seconds later Irina, the triplets, and Marshall came back with coffee and juice. Everything was passed around and they sat in Jack's room enjoying it while talking and showing Jack what they'd bought when they were out. They spent the rest of the afternoon doing that, and when dinnertime came around they went to the cafeteria.

The rest of the evening was spent like the previous night, and when everyone said goodnight to Jack, Sydney, Nadia, and the triplets gave their father a kiss on the cheek, while Irina was in the waiting room making the beds ready. When she came to Jack's room she only said goodnight and didn't kiss him.

* * *

The next morning Sydney, Nadia, and the triplets walked into their father's room first. They each gave him a kiss on the cheek, and were happy to see that he looked better. When everyone else came into the room, they greeted Jack good morning, and after a few seconds went to the cafeteria to get breakfast.

Sydney, Vaughn, Nadia, Eric, Dixon, and Marshall were leaving in the afternoon, so after breakfast they packed their things, while the triplets stayed in Jack's room. Irina helped with the packing, and after that was done, they all went into Jack's room to spend time with him.

After having had lunch in the cafeteria they all went back to Jack's room and when it was time to leave they each took turns to say goodbye, while the rest of them checked their things in the waiting room to make sure they'd remembered everything.

Dixon and Marshall were the first to say goodbye, and they stood on the same side of the bed, so that Jack wouldn't have too move his head too much.

"Take care, Jack, and get better soon so that we can get you home." Jack smiled in return.

"Thanks, Marcus."

He lifted his hand a little and opened it. Dixon put his hand in Jack's and let Jack squeeze first, so that he wouldn't hurt him. When Dixon could feel how much Jack could handle, he squeezed back. He took a step back so that Marshall could get closer.

"Well, I don't have to tell you how happy we are that you're alright." Jack smiled. "But I will anyway." Jack chuckled a little. "Life wouldn't have been the same without you, Jack. So we're all extremely thrilled that you pulled through." Marshall got a little teary eyed and Jack held out his hand for him, which he took.

"Thank you, Marshall."

"I'm sorry Sloane got away. We should've gotten him."

"Don't worry about it. He had too many men helping him. You shot him in his knee, so his bound to be in pain. You did good, Marshall."

"Thanks."

Vaughn and Eric walked in.

"We're done with our luggage, but if you need a few minutes more with Jack, we can wait."

"No, we're done." Dixon looked back at Jack. "See you soon, Jack."

"Yeah. Say hi to everyone at home."

"We will."

"Bye, Jack. Take care."

"You too, Marshall."

Dixon and Marshall left and Vaughn and Eric walked closer to the bed. They exchanged glances remembering the last time they'd been alone with Jack and what they'd told him. Jack noticed them acting a little strange.

"What's wrong?" Vaughn and Eric looked at each other quickly, but then looked back at Jack again. Vaughn smiled.

"Nothing's wrong, Jack. It just seems a bit strange not to be going in here everyday since we've done that for a while now."

"But you'll be going home to your children, so I think that beats being in a hospital." They all smiled.

"Yes, of course."

"And before you know it, you'll be going home too."

"Yeah, you'll be sleeping in your own bed, and going back to work. Everything will be back to normal in no time."

Jack couldn't help but think of Irina not kissing him, and wondered if things would be back to normal soon. But instead of thinking more about it he just nodded and smiled a little.

"Yeah, you're right."

"Everyone back home is looking forward to you coming back."

"They're looking forward to talking to you too, and since you're doing better day by day, I guess it's only a matter of time until you're up to talking to them."

"Yes, I certainly hope so."

"We're sure of it."

"Just keep in mind that you, Irina, and the triplets are safe and alright, and that you'll get to see the grandkids soon. That should help you heal sooner." Jack smiled.

"Yes, absolutely."

The door opened and Sydney and Nadia walked in.

"We've checked the bags, but if you need to talk to dad some more, we can wait."

"No, I don't really think there's much more to say."

"No, me either." Eric looked back at Jack. "Bye Jack. Take care and we'll see each other soon." Jack held his hand out and Eric took it and let Jack squeeze as much as he could like Dixon and Marshall had done.

"Bye, Eric, and thank you. Give Becky and David a kiss from me."

"I will." He let go of Jack's hand and Vaughn took it.

"Take care, Jack. We look forward to getting you home."

"I look forward to coming home. Give Isabelle, Sarah, and Nicholas a kiss from me."

"I will. Bye."

"Bye, Vaughn."

* * *

Eric and Vaughn left the room and walked a bit away from the room. When they got out into the hall Vaughn let out a breath of relief.

"Luckily it seems he doesn't remember what we said to him when he was in a coma."

"Yeah that's certainly lucky. But if he does remember eventually, you're so screwed."

"What? Why am I the one, who's screwed? You started everything by saying how Nadia is as horny as you, and how she's wild, bendy, and has an amazing mouth. If anyone's screwed, it's you, because Jack certainly wouldn't want to hear you say that about his daughter."

"No, he wouldn't, but I still make Nadia happy." Eric laughed a little. "And not just happy like that." He wiggled his eyes while Vaughn rolled his. "I make her happy in more ways than just that, and all Jack wants is for his children to be happy. And I've also given him two grandchildren. But you talked about Stan. And what good has Stan ever done for Jack? Nothing. All Stan does, is annoy Jack with his constant drooling over Irina, and Jack hates that."

"Yeah, I know, but still."

"But still what, Vaughn? You told Jack to imagine Stan with his hands all over Irina and her taking pleasure in his touches. With Jack being as overprotective as he is, do you really think he wants to think of another man getting anywhere near his wife? And especially Stan?"

"Well, no." Vaughn looked towards Jack's room a little nervously. He definitely knew that Jack didn't want to think about that, and he knew that he'd receive the worst Bristow death glare in his life, if Jack ever remembered anything he'd said to him. Vaughn shook the thought from his mind. "But he wouldn't want to think about you having your hands, mouth, and tongue all over Nadia either." Eric also looked towards the door a little nervously, and then shook his head.

"I know." They looked at each other, seeing that both feared the consequences if Jack would ever know what they'd told him.

"Let's just hope Jack didn't hear a thing, and not think about it anymore or act strange around him." Eric nodded.

"Yeah, let's do that. He would never treat us nicely again, if he remembers any of it."

"Not treat us nicely? He would make our lives a living hell." They both thought for a second of what Jack would do to them. Vaughn shook his head, not wanting to think more about it. "Let's just pretend that the conversation never happened." Eric nodded.

"Yeah that's for the best." They stood in the hall for another few seconds before they went back to the waiting room.

* * *

Meanwhile in Jack's room Jack had held out his hand for Sydney and Nadia the minute they'd walked all the way up to his bed. They took it without hesitation, but let him set the pressure.

"Now that we're here saying goodbye, we really wish we didn't have to leave, dad."

"Yeah, we would like to stay and leave with you." He smiled at them.

"Thank you, but there's no need for you to think that. Besides, the kids miss you, and it would be best for them if you went home, even though they know that we're all alright. I know how they felt when your sisters and brother were kidnapped, so I can't imagine it was any easier when your mother and I were kidnapped too."

"No, it certainly wasn't easy. They were scared that something was going to happen to us, and they didn't want us to leave the house to go to work. We had to call home several times during the day to let them know, we were alright."

"And it wasn't easy when we had to leave to get you. It helped that we were able to call a lot here too, and that everyone at home has been taking care of them, and has taken time off. But it certainly helped the most when we could tell them that you, mom, and the triplets were alright."

"And they'll be just fine once you all come home. They really miss you."

"I miss them too. We all do. Give them all a big hug and a big kiss from me. Well the kids anyway. You don't need to kiss Kendall or Will or anyone like that for me." Sydney and Nadia laughed out loud, and Jack chuckled.

"You're certainly getting better by the minute, dad."

"Laughter is the best medicine, right?"

"Yes, it certainly is." They laughed a little more, but then Jack grimaced a little. Sydney and Nadia stopped laughing, and looked at him concerned.

"Dad, are you okay?"

"Should we get the doctor?" He smiled.

"I'm fine. No need to get the doctor. I just laughed a little too much."

"Just take it easy, and don't overdue it. The more you overdue it, the longer it'll take for you to recover."

"We wouldn't want you to be in the hospital longer than you have to, and I don't think you do either." He shook his head.

"No, I certainly don't."

"You've been through a lot, and your body needs to heal at its own speed. So just relax, and let people take care of you."

"Promise us that you'll take it easy and do everything the doctors and nurses tell you. No matter how many times they tell you."

Sydney smirked a little remembering when Jack was released after being treated for radiation poisoning. She remembered him telling her that he was treated like an idiot, because every day they told him what to do even though the procedure was the same.

Jack saw the look in her eyes and knew what she was thinking of. He rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, I promise."

"Dad, that didn't sound very convincing."

"Yes, mom, I promise to do everything the doctors and nurses tell me, no matter how many times they tell me. How was that? Better?" Both Sydney and Nadia gave him a stern look.

"Dad, it's not funny. We came very close to losing you. And although we know that you're going to be fine now, we would much rather have you come home sooner than later."

"You will have to be here longer if you don't do as you're told. And you just said you don't want that." He sighed and nodded.

"Yes, you're right." He smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry." They smiled back.

"Don't worry about it. Just concentrate on getting better. Now promise that you'll do everything you're told, and promise you won't overdue it."

"And be sincere this time." He chuckled a little and they let out a small laugh too. He spoke sincerely.

"Sweethearts, I promise you that I'll take it easy, and do everything I'm told."

"Good." Sydney looked at her watch. "It's time for us to go. Bye, dad, and take care. I can't wait for you to come home. I love you." She gave him a kiss on his forehead, and he squeezed her hand.

"Bye, Sydney. I love you too."

"Bye, dad. I look forward to you coming home. I love you. Take care." Nadia also gave him a kiss on the forehead, and he squeezed her hand too.

"Bye, Nadia. I love you too."

Five seconds later the door opened and everyone walked in.

"It's time to leave."

"Are you ready?"

"Yes, we are." Sydney looked back at her father and smiled. "Bye, dad." Nadia looked at him too and smiled.

"Bye, dad." He smiled back at them.

"Bye girls."

Everyone left the room except for Irina, who walked up to Jack's bed.

"The triplets and I are going for a walk after we've said goodbye to everyone. They haven't been outside all day, so it'll be good for them."

"Yes, of course."

"I think we'll end up going to the playground, so it'll probably be a while before we get back."

"Okay."

"You also haven't rested much today when you've been on your own, so it's important that you do that."

Jack knew he got plenty of rest when other people were in the room with him, and he also felt a little lonely when he was left in the room alone. But he didn't want to prevent his children from going outside, and try to enjoy their time here for as long as they needed to be here. He nodded slightly.

"Yeah, sure."

She nodded back and they just looked at each other for a few seconds without saying anything. Irina then looked at her watch.

"Well, I should go. Talk to you later."

"Yeah, see you later."

Irina left and Jack sighed feeling the loneliness already. He stared up in the ceiling, and decided that they only way to pass the time was to try to sleep.

* * *

Irina and the triplets came back in the late afternoon. Jack was awake, so the stayed in there and the triplets talked eagerly about their time on the playground.

When dinnertime came around Irina and the triplets went to the cafeteria, and Jack felt the loneliness again. He didn't feel the need to sleep, so he tried to think of something happy, and not remember the time they'd spent in the prison.

But the more he tried to think of happier times, the more the images from the time in Kashmir came to him. He couldn't shake the DVDs they'd watched from his mind, or Cuvee's smirk, or Cuvee kissing Irina, or Cuvee rubbing himself against the back of her head. He especially couldn't shake the image of Irina being tied to the desk naked thinking she was about to get raped, and Cuvee groping her. If he hadn't been able to get free of the chains, Cuvee would've raped her. Although Sydney and Vaughn had been close, Jack knew that they wouldn't have made it in time.

He took a deep breath. He'd noticed Irina's behavior since he'd been awake. She hadn't kissed him, and hadn't even touched him. Although she seemed fine on the outside, he figured she wasn't ready for any kind of intimacy. Not even ready to touch him just a little bit. He didn't know what to do about that. He certainly didn't want to push her into talking about it if she wasn't ready. That might just make it harder for her. He decided he would see how things turned out and take it from there.

Jack thought Irina and the triplets were away longer than usual, which only made him more certain that she had a hard time being in his presence after everything that had happened.

When they finally got back the triplets did the most of the talking, and later they left the room to call home. Jack was getting tired, and wasn't up for talking to everyone back home yet, so they stepped out of his room, so they wouldn't disturb him. He even thought that the phone conversation took longer than it had the previous night. But he also just suspected that everyone at home wanted to talk to them. He especially knew that the grandkids wanted to talk a lot with Irina and the triplets.

Jack was almost falling asleep when they finally came back to his room. Irina noticed, and was immediately concerned that they'd woken him, and thought that, that would affect his healing process.

"I'm sorry. We didn't mean to wake you." He shook his head a little.

"You didn't. I wasn't asleep yet."

"But you almost were, and you really need your rest, so we should let you sleep."

"No really, it's okay."

"Don't overdue it. You're still far away from your full strength, and you need all the rest you can get. Besides, it's late anyway." She looked at the triplets. "I'm just going to get the waiting room ready for bed. In the meantime you say goodnight to daddy. Don't take too long. He needs his rest." They nodded.

"We won't take too long, mommy." She smiled at them.

"Good." She looked back at Jack. "I'll be back in a little while." He nodded.

"Okay." She left and the triplets walked closer. Caitie gave Jack a kiss on the cheek.

"Goodnight, daddy. Sleep well."

"Goodnight, Caitie. You too." Ethan was the next to give him a kiss.

"Goodnight, daddy. Sweet dreams."

"Goodnight, Ethan. The same to you." Maddie also gave him a kiss.

"Goodnight, daddy. See you tomorrow."

"Goodnight, Maddie. Yes you will."

The triplets decided to give him one more kiss before leaving, and Jack smiled broadly when they left.

Irina came back to his room a few minutes after the triplets left. She smiled a little at him.

"Well, since you were almost asleep before, there's nothing for me to do other than to say goodnight." Jack nodded.

"No, I guess not." Irina nodded.

"Okay then. Goodnight, Jack."

"Goodnight, Irina."

She left quickly, and Jack now knew that she definitely wasn't ready for intimacy of any kind, and wouldn't be for a while. Instead of talking to her about it, he decided that he would let her have her space, and let her come to him when she was ready to talk and be intimate again.

**TBC**


	29. Chapter 29

**SofiaBlackBristow:** Yes, he's finally awake, and it was about time too. Thank you so much for loving my story and thinking it's perfect. Yeah, it's a shame Irina doesn't do that, but she's too traumatized about Jack nearly dying and about what the doctor said about touching him that she doesn't want to touch him - she thinks it will set his recovery back. Kiss to you too. Thank you for reading and commenting - it means so much. :-)

**Rishka Derevko:** My pleasure. There was no way that I was going to kill Jack - he doesn't deserve to die like that. Thank you - I had hoped that I was good at the suspense part, but it's nice to know that the readers think so. Oh wow - that's quite a compliment - thank you so much. *blush* Thank you for loving my story so much, and thank you for reading and commenting - it means so much. :-)

* * *

**Chapter 29**

It was early evening by the time Sydney, Nadia, Vaughn, Eric, Dixon, and Marshall came home to L.A. They were picked up by agents at the airstrip and brought back to the safe house, where everyone was still staying. It would be everyone's last night at the safe house, since everyone, but Jack, Irina, and the triplets, was home now and since there hadn't been any danger to worry about. Though, they would still keep a watchful eye out for any possible danger when they went home to their homes, since Sloane was still free.

Everyone was still up and as soon as they walked in Isabelle and Sarah ran towards Sydney and Vaughn, Becky ran towards Nadia and Eric, Mitchell, Matthew, Chloe, and Gracie ran towards Marshall, and Stephen and Robin walked towards Dixon.

"We've missed you." Sydney gave Isabelle another kiss.

"We've missed you too."

"How's grandpa?"

"He's getting better and better each day."

"So we'll be able to talk to him soon?"

"Yes, any day now. He just needs to get a little better before you can do that."

"How are grandma, Ethan, Maddie, and Caitie?"

"They're just fine."

"When are they all coming home?"

"It'll be a little while longer. Grandpa needs to get a lot better before he can be moved."

"Okay."

The kids all got more hugs and kisses. Katya then walked over to Sydney and Vaughn and put Nicholas in Sydney's arms. Kendall walked over to Nadia and Eric and handed David to Nadia while Carrie walked over to Marshall and hugged and kissed him, and Chase walked over to Dixon and hugged him.

Katya, Kendall, Carrie, Will, and Rachel then hugged Sydney, Nadia, Vaughn, Eric, Marshall, and Dixon. Sydney smiled when she hugged Will.

"Thank you for still being here." He smiled back.

"Don't mention it."

"When are you going home?"

"We'll be staying for a few more days."

"I'm glad."

"Let's go into the living room. We've made some sandwiches and lemonade. I'm sure you can use that."

"That sounds wonderful Katya."

They all went into the living room where they had the food and drinks and they talked until it was time for the kids to go to bed.

Sydney, Nadia, Vaughn, Eric, Marshall, and Carrie took their time tugging in their kids and returned to the living room after they had fallen asleep. Nicholas, David, and T.J. had fallen asleep awhile before the others and had been tugged in at that time, and Stephen and Robin stayed up for a while longer.

When they came back down they all talked some more and then played some board games until Stephen and Robin went to bed. While they went to bed everyone, who had returned from India, unpacked to make sure that Stephen and Robin were hopefully asleep by the time they were done unpacking. The mission would be talked about more in detail and Stephen and Robin didn't need to hear about that.

They returned to the living room a while later after having checked on all the kids.

"Did you check on the kids?"

"Yes. They're all asleep."

"Good."

Everyone sat down and sighed a little.

"How are you?"

"We're fine, but it was a hectic time with the rescue mission and thinking dad would die."

"Yes, we can imagine. But now that we know Jack will live, we can all relax."

"How are the triplets? I know we've talked to them and they seem fine, but are there any signs that they're not fine?"

"No, they seem quite fine. I think just being around mom and dad, are enough for them to get passed the trauma they've been through. And luckily they weren't put through any real torture like mom and dad, and they were also given food and water."

"But no doubt mom and dad will have a talk with them when dad gets a bit better."

"Yes, I think that will do them good. They need to talk about what happened, so that they won't have any problems in the future. But they're also strong, which is due to their genes. All of Jack and Irina's children have strong minds and willpower." Sydney and Nadia smiled at their aunt.

"Thanks Katya."

"So how are Jack and Irina? Well of course Jack still has a long way to go until he's fully recovered, and Irina has started to take care of herself. But other than that, how are they?"

"They seem fine. But like the triplets need to talk about what happened, I think mom and dad need to do that too."

"Especially with all the torture they were put through and the DVDs they had to watch. And who knows how many they had to watch of those."

"DVDs? What DVDs?"

Katya, Kendall, Carrie, Will, and Rachel hadn't been told about the DVD that was playing in the basement. Not even Chase had been told. Dixon noticed that neither Sydney nor Nadia seemed like they felt like telling what they had seen, so he decided to tell everyone as to not make Sydney and Nadia go through the pain of telling everyone.

"You all know what Cuvee put Irina through when she was a prisoner there." Everyone nodded slowly and started to look a little horrified. "Well, he taped what he did to her, and apparently he made Jack and Irina, watch the footage of that." Everyone gaped.

"He didn't."

"Unfortunately, yes. One of the DVDs was playing when we reached the basement."

"That bastard."

"We didn't ask them how much they saw, but we assume they've seen quite a large amount of DVDs. We found a whole bunch just before we destroyed the place."

"If Cuvee wasn't already dead, I'd cut off his balls and dick and make him eat them. Then I'd kill him." Everyone stared a little wide eyed at Katya, but after a few seconds they all nodded agreeing with her. Kendall looked between Sydney and Nadia.

"That couldn't have been easy for Irina to watch. Or Jack for that matter."

"No, we don't imagine that it was. Though, we didn't ask her about it. We didn't ask dad either, but we didn't have that much of a chance to do that."

"We didn't think mom needed to be reminded about it with everything that was going on, and we didn't feel like asking her either. But maybe we should have." Katya shook her head.

"No, you did the right thing. If Irina should talk to anyone about it, it should be Jack. I know that she doesn't want to talk about it, but since Jack saw the DVDs too, I think he's the right person she should talk to. And although it would be hard to talk about, I definitely think they need to talk about it."

"Yeah, I think you're right."

Everyone stayed silent for a couple of minutes before they resumed talking, and a few hours later everyone went to bed.

* * *

A couple of hours after everyone had gone to bed Kendall got up and went to the kitchen to get something to drink. When he got there, Katya was sitting by the table having a glass of orange juice.

"Hi. Anymore juice left?"

"Yes, plenty."

He got a glass from the cupboard and sat down across from her and poured himself a glass.

"It's nice to have everyone home again. Well, almost everyone. It certainly will be a lot better once Jack, Irina, and the triplets are back home too."

"Yes, it most definitely will."

"It'll do them good to come home to their usual surroundings so that they can get Kashmir off their minds. It'll certainly be good for Jack and Irina to get those DVDs off their minds." He shook his head. "I still can't believe Sloane and Cuvee made them watch them."

"I can't believe it either. Irina has done her best to try to forget about her time in Kashmir, and had it been up to her no one would've ever found out what happened to her. But of course when she got back together with Jack, she couldn't hide the truth from him, or from Sydney and Nadia."

"I'm sure with the help of Jack she can put it behind her once again. Or at least put it behind her to the best of her abilities."

"Irina's certainly strong, and only a strong person can do that. Someone who's weak won't be able to get passed it. The only way a weak person seems to be able to get passed it, is by bottling up the feelings deep inside, and then goes on with his or her life like nothing happened." She finished her juice and poured some more. "But luckily Irina has Jack by her side." He nodded and smiled a little.

"They're certainly lucky to have each other and to share the love they do."

"Yes, some people are lucky like that."

"Yes, some are."

They looked at each other and smiled a little. After a few seconds of silence Kendall raised his glass.

"To love." Katya rolled her eyes.

"Why on earth would I want to toast to love?" He looked at her a little confused.

"Wait, didn't we just agree that Jack and Irina are lucky to share the love they do, and that they're lucky to have each other?"

"Yes, we did."

"You are happy that Jack and Irina are together, right?"

"Don't be an idiot. Of course I'm happy that they're together."

"Then why not toast to love?"

"Because, we're toasting to love in general, and I have no desire to do that."

"Then how about toasting to Jack and Irina?" She rolled her eyes.

"Why stop there? Why not toast to Sydney and Vaughn, Nadia and Eric, and every other couple we know, who are in love." He let out a frustrated grunt, and got a little annoyed with her.

"There's no reason to make fun of my suggestion."

"It was a ridiculous suggestion, and therefore I'm making fun of it."

"Fine. We won't toast to anything then." He finished his glass and got up from his chair. He shook his head "And just when we were having one of our extremely rare and pleasant conversations."

"Yes, well don't let one of our extremely rare and pleasant conversations go to…"

"Yeah, yeah, I know. Don't let one of our extremely rare and pleasant conversations go to that big, bald head of mine." He shook his head again. "I'm going to bed. Are you done with the juice?"

"Yes."

He took the juice and put it back in the fridge and put his glass in the sink. Then he left the kitchen without saying goodnight or looking back at Katya. She stayed in the kitchen for a few more minutes finishing her juice before going back to bed.

* * *

Back in India the day had not been much different from the previous. Irina and the triplets had been to Jack's room to greet him good morning and then they'd gone to the cafeteria to have breakfast. After breakfast they'd come back to his room and stayed there for a while talking. Late in the morning the doctor came to examine Jack, and Irina told Jack that she and the triplets would go out and walk around for a while and get back some time in the afternoon.

While Irina and the triplets were gone, Jack was bored and thoughts of the time in Kashmir, was on his mind constantly. He tried to think of happier times, and sometimes that helped, but the footage of the DVDs would come crawling back into his mind again eventually. His mood only changed for the better when the triplets came back to his room.

"Hi daddy."

"Hi sweethearts. Where's mommy?"

"She went to talk to the doctor."

"She'll be back in a little while."

"Okay. Did you have a nice time out?"

"Do you want us to tell you about it?" He smiled at them.

"Of course."

They pulled up chairs and sat next to him, and started telling him about everything they'd done and seen. Half an hour later Irina joined them in the room, and after greeting Jack she sat down next to the triplets and let them go on about telling Jack about their day.

Irina and the triplets went back to the cafeteria to have dinner, and then came back to Jack's room a while later. They stayed in his room until it was time to call home. When they finished with their phone conversation, they went to Jack's room again to say goodnight to him. The triplets went in there first, and kissed him goodnight before Irina came into the room. The two of them only said a quick goodnight to each other before Irina left the room again.

* * *

The next day started out the same as the previous day. A few minutes after Irina and the triplets came back to Jack's room after having had breakfast in the cafeteria the doctor joined them in his room.

"Good morning."

"Good morning, doctor."

"How are you feeling today, Mr. Bristow?"

"I feel better every day."

"That's good to hear. Your tests show that you're getting better each day too. And because of that, I think it's time for you to try to sit up. Are you up for that?"

"Yes, absolutely."

"Good. I'll just go and get a few nurses to help me." He left and the triplets smiled at Jack.

"That's good news, daddy.

"Yes, it is good news."

Irina bit her lip, but then smiled a little when Jack looked at her.

"Yes, it is good news, Jack." He smiled back a little too.

A few minutes later the doctor came back with a couple of nurses. Irina and the triplets stepped away from Jack's bed to make room for them. Irina bit her bottom lip when the bed had been raised and the doctor and nurses started to help Jack sit up. She couldn't stand to see anyone touch him when she knew what the doctor had said back when he was first in the hospital. It didn't make the situation better that Jack grimaced in pain a little.

The doctor looked at Jack.

"Are you okay, Mr. Bristow?" Jack smiled a little once he was settled.

"Yes, I'm fine. No pain, no glory, right?" The doctor smiled.

"Well that's true in some cases." He lifted Jack's hospital gown to check the stitches. "Everything looks just fine. And it's very normal for you to be in pain when you sit up after lying down for so long. But if the pain gets too unbearable, let me know."

"I will."

"Are you in any pain now?"

"No, not at all. My body is still sore, but no more than it was yesterday."

"That's perfectly natural. Well, we'll leave you alone. Here's the call button in case you need us for anything." He placed the call button back on the bed next to Jack's hand.

"Thank you."

"I'll be back later to check on you." Jack nodded and the doctor and the nurses left the room while Irina and the triplets moved closer to the bed again.

"Is it good to sit up again, daddy?" Jack smiled at Maddie.

"Yes, it certainly is."

"So maybe soon we'll be able to place a board game on the bed and we'll all be able to play?" Jack laughed a little.

"Yes, maybe will be able to do that soon. If not a board game then at least we can play cards."

"How are you feeling, Jack? Are you sure, you're okay to sit up?"

"Yes, I'm fine. I have to sit up eventually, and since the doctor can tell that it's time, I think it's wise to listen to him. He wouldn't allow me to sit up if he didn't think I was ready."

"No, of course not. Just make sure to let the doctor or a nurse know if you feel any discomfort."

"I will."

They stayed in Jack's room until it was time for Jack to have lunch. One of the nurses came into the room with his food.

"Hello Mr. Bristow. Time for lunch and time to try eating by yourself. You think you can do that?"

"Yes, I think I can manage."

"Good."

Irina stood up.

"Since you're having lunch now, we should go and get lunch too." She looked at the triplets. "What do you say to going out for lunch and then doing a bit of sightseeing after?"

"That sounds like a good idea, mommy." Maddie and Caitie nodded too. Irina looked back at Jack.

"We'll be back some time this afternoon. Enjoy your lunch."

"You too." They left as the nurse finished getting Jack's food ready for him to eat.

"There you go, Mr. Bristow. Enjoy your meal. Call if you need any help."

"I will. Thank you."

"I will be back later to collect your tray."

"Okay." The nurse left and Jack sighed before eating.

An hour later the nurse returned.

"How did it go?" Jack smiled a little.

"Fine, thank you."

"And how was the food?"

"Hospital food was never my favorite, but this was better than what I've had before." The nurse laughed and Jack laughed a little too.

"Well, unfortunately hospital food will be hospital food. But I can see you finished everything."

"Yeah. As I said, it wasn't that bad." She nodded and took the tray away and pushed the table back.

"Can I get you anything else or do anything for you?"

"No thank you."

"Okay. Just call if you need anything." Jack nodded and the nurse walked towards the door. When she was almost out Jack called out to her.

"Wait." She came back into the room.

"Yes?"

"I could actually use a shave. I'm not used to having a beard and it's rather itchy. I don't have enough strength to shave myself. I don't think my hands will be steady enough to watch out for the bruises. Would you mind shaving me? My son bought shaving cream and a razor. It should be around here somewhere."

"Sure, I'll give you a shave. Let me just put this away and I'll be back shortly."

"Thank you."

"Don't mention it."

* * *

When Irina and the triplets came back, the triplets went into Jack's room first.

"Hi daddy."

"You got a shave."

"Yes, I did. It's a good thing you bought me that razor and the shaving cream."

"I knew it would come in handy eventually." Jack looked at Ethan a little oddly, but then smiled.

"You look very handsome with a new shaven face, daddy." Maddie gave Jack a kiss on the cheek, and he smiled.

"Thank you, sweetheart." Caitie then gave him a kiss too.

"It's nice that you're not itchy anymore." Jack laughed and so did the triplets.

"Yeah, I think so too." Ethan gave his father a kiss to just before Irina walked in. Jack looked up when she came in, and she looked at him surprised.

"You shaved?"

"No, I had one of the nurses give me a shave."

"Oh."

She was disappointed that he had gotten one of the nurses to shave him. She had wanted to do that when he had gotten better, just like she had promised him. But she also knew that she wouldn't have shaved him unless he told her to, and she was also disappointed that he hadn't asked her to do it.

"It was really starting to bother me, so I thought it was best to get it removed as soon as possible."

"Of course." She pushed back her disappointment and focused on something else. "So, how did lunch go? Any problems?"

"No, it went great."

"That's good."

"How did your lunch go, and your time out?"

"It went just fine." He nodded and looked at the triplets.

"Well, pull up the chairs and tell me all about it."

They spent the rest of the afternoon talking about their day. When dinnertime came around Irina and the triplets left for the cafeteria while Jack had his dinner in his room. After Irina and the triplets had finished they went for a walk outside before returning to Jack's room. They continued talking for a while, but they also brought a board game into Jack's room that they played at the table while Jack watched from his bed with great joy at how happy the triplets were.

Later in the evening Irina and the triplets called home and they then returned to Jack's room where they stayed for a little while longer until the nurse came in.

"Hi. I think it would be a good idea if Mr. Bristow had his rest now."

Irina wondered if that was the nurse, who had shaved Jack. But again she pushed the thought away from her mind and nodded.

"Yes, of course. We should get to bed too." Two nurses entered the room and Irina looked at the triplets. "Why don't you say goodnight to daddy when the nurses are done, and I'll go and make our beds ready."

"Okay, mommy." She left not wanting to watch Jack being touched and him possibly grimace in pain. The triplets watched as the nurses helped Jack to lie back down.

When the nurses were done and had left the room, the triplets said goodnight to Jack. They stayed until Irina came back, and then they left the room.

"I'd like to talk to everyone at home tomorrow, when you call home. Well since they're all gone home to their own houses, I'd at least like to talk to the kids and the grandkids." Irina nodded.

"Okay, if you think you're up for it, then we'll do that."

"I feel better every day, so I don't see why I shouldn't be up for it tomorrow."

"No, of course not." They stayed silent for a few seconds, and then Irina nodded once. "Well, I should let you get your sleep. Goodnight Jack. See you tomorrow."

"Yeah, see you tomorrow. Goodnight."

Irina left the room, and Jack sighed deeply before going to sleep.

**TBC**


	30. Chapter 30

**SofiaBlackBristow:** Thank you so much for saying that and thank you for reading and commenting - it means so much. :-)

**Margaret-the 1st time:** You're welcome. :-) I'm glad you thought it was adorable. I'm glad you think it's clever - thank you for saying that. Yeah, with everything they went through they're going to give each other space, and therefore they won't talk about what happened any time soon. I'm thrilled to hear you love the double Ks stuff - I enjoy writing about them. Thank you and I hope you have a good holiday too. :-) Thank you for reading and commenting - it means so much. :-)

* * *

**Chapter 30**

The next morning the triplets walked into Jack's room. They greeted him good morning and a few seconds later Irina came into the room.

"Morning, Jack."

"Morning."

"How did you sleep?"

"Just fine."

"You didn't have any problems from sitting up yesterday?"

"No, none at all."

"That's good."

"How did you sleep?"

"Just fine too."

"Good."

"I sent a text message to Sydney and Nadia last night to let them know that you'll be on the phone tonight. I got a message back from Sydney. Nadia, Eric, Becky, David, and Katya will be at Sydney's tonight. Sergei, Will, Rachel, and T.J. are staying with Sydney and Michael, so they'll be there too." Jack nodded.

"It's going to be good talking to them."

"Yeah, they're certainly looking forward to hearing from you."

"I'm looking forward to hearing from them too."

"And just think, daddy, soon we'll be able to go home and see everyone again." Jack smiled at Caitie.

"Yes, you're absolutely right." He smiled at Ethan and Maddie too, and then looked at Irina. "Could you go and get the nurse, and tell her I'd like to sit up?"

"Don't you think, it's best, you wait until the nurse comes to see you? Or better yet the doctor?"

"No, I really want to sit up now. The doctor said I should help set the pace for my recovery as long as I didn't overdue it. I know better than anyone what my body can take, and I'm tired of lying down. So would you please get the nurse?" Irina nodded slightly.

"Of course." She left and Jack looked at the triplets.

"So, what's on the agenda for today?"

"Mommy suggested we go to the playground."

"And that we could also do a bit of shopping."

Jack sighed inwardly at the thought of spending more hours alone, but he smiled at the triplets. He knew that it was important for them and Irina to be outside and to feel free after spending so much time locked up.

"It sounds like you have a busy day planned. I'll be looking forward to hearing all about it."

"We'll be looking forward to telling you about it."

They continued talking and a few minutes later Irina returned with a nurse.

"Good morning all." Jack and the triplets greeted the nurse. "How are you feeling today, Mr. Bristow?"

"Better than yesterday."

"Any discomfort from sitting up yesterday?"

"No, none at all."

"That's really good to hear. Two other nurses will be along in a minute to help, and after we've helped you to sit up, I'll get you your breakfast."

"Well in that case we should eat too." The triplets looked at Irina and nodded. Jack looked at Irina.

"Are you leaving right after you've eaten, or are you coming back here before you leave?" She looked at him a little oddly. "The triplets said you're going sightseeing and shopping."

"Oh. Well, we'll be back to brush our teeth. But other than that I think we'll leave right after." Jack nodded.

"Okay."

The two other nurses entered. Irina looked at them greeting them with a nod and a smile, and then looked back at Jack.

"Time for us to leave." She looked at the triplets. "Come on, sweethearts." She started walking towards the door. The triplets followed her, and waved at Jack before going out the door. He waved at them, and Irina looked at him before going out the door. "See you in a little while." He nodded.

"Yeah. Enjoy breakfast."

"You too." She left and Jack waited until the nurses had left to sigh.

* * *

When Irina and the triplets returned a while later Jack was done with breakfast.

"Hi daddy."

"Hi. Are you all set to leave?"

"Yes, we are. We just came to say goodbye."

"Can we bring you back anything?" Jack smiled.

"Thank you for the offer, but I don't really know what that should be."

"Well if you think of something give us a call." Ethan took Jack's phone from the table and placed it on the bed next to Jack's hand. Jack couldn't help but laugh a little.

"Thank you very much. I will." He reached out and stroked Ethan on the top of his head.

Irina held her breath when she saw Jack move his hand. She'd seen the improvements he was making daily, but she was still worried that he'd overdue it and get worse. She needed some fresh air to help her get her mind off of things, and knew that getting out of the hospital would also allow Jack to get some rest. She walked closer to the triplets and placed a hand on Ethan's shoulder.

"Are you all ready to go?" They nodded.

"Yes, mommy."

"Good, then let's leave so that daddy can get some rest."

"Okay." The triplets looked at Jack. "See you later, daddy."

"We'll bring you back something." Jack smiled.

"I look forward to see what you get. Have a nice time."

"We will. Bye, daddy."

"See you later, Jack." Irina smiled a little and he smiled back a little.

"Yeah, see you later. Bye."

When they'd left, Jack sighed. He looked around the room, and didn't know how to pass the time. He thought about asking for something to read, but also didn't want to use the call button. He didn't want the nurses to come rushing to the room if they thought that he was in pain, just to find out that all he wanted was something to read in. He was also not the type to yell out to them. So he sighed and looked up into the ceiling waiting for when one of the nurses would come and check on him.

While he waited, he was left with his thoughts. Most of his thoughts went to Kashmir and the DVDs they'd watched. The images of Cuvee raping Irina over and over, and how he'd forced her to give him blowjobs plagued his mind. He closed his eyes shut and took a couple of deep breaths trying to get those images out of his head. But no matter how hard he tried he couldn't get the images off his mind.

His thoughts then went to the time in Kashmir when Cuvee and Sloane were about to put him through the same kind of torture that Geiger put him through years ago. He couldn't believe that Irina told them to put her through that torture, or do whatever they wanted to do to her so that he would be left alone. He knew that she'd do anything for him, but he would never want her to sacrifice herself like that, though he'd do the same for her. He couldn't believe that she'd asked them to rape her, when she'd been raped so much in the past, and since they'd watched that on the DVDs.

He remembered how pale she'd looked the first time they'd watched one of the DVDs, and how she'd only gotten paler with each DVD they'd watched. He also remembered the empty look in her eyes and still wondered what seeing herself, like that had done to her. He still wondered if he should ask her about it, but also knew that it was painful for her to talk about, and therefore he knew it would be best to give her, her space, and let her come to him when she was ready to talk.

He was glad he'd killed Cuvee before he had a chance to rape Irina again. But even if Cuvee had raped her, he knew it wouldn't change the way he felt about her. He would still love her as much as he'd done before. Though, he feared what it would've done to Irina, and also feared what all of Cuvee's groping had done to her. In a way she seemed fine to him, but he also believed that she was probably bottling up her feelings. This only made him want to talk to her even more, but again he knew that she might not be ready to talk, and that's why he wanted her to come to him.

Intimacy of any kind was something he didn't want to force on her either. He wanted to kiss her, caress her cheek, or simply hold her hand, but he also feared that touching her even the slightest could make things worse and make her even more afraid of intimacy, and he didn't want to make her uncomfortable, or pressure her into doing something she wasn't ready to do yet.

A few tears escaped his eyes. He wiped them away and shook his head trying to make the images go away. Taking another deep breath he tried to think of happier times. He thought of Christmas at the cabin, and with everything that entailed like building a snowman, reading a story in front of the fireplace, decorating the tree, and dancing with Irina in the snow. He smiled at the memories, and continued to think of happier times the best he could.

Nearly two hours after Irina and the triplets had left a nurse came to his room. He requested for something to read in, and she came back with newspapers, magazines and books. The reading helped get his mind off of Kashmir even more, but every now and then as he read, Kashmir would creep into his mind again.

* * *

It was late in the afternoon when Irina and the triplets came back to the hospital. The triplets walked into Jack's room first and he smiled at them and laughed a little at all the bags they were carrying.

"Hi, daddy."

"Hi sweethearts. I see you did quite a bit of shopping."

"Yes, we did. Do you want to see what we got?"

"Yes, I'd love to."

"We got you a couple of new shirts."

"We hope you'll like them." He smiled at them.

"I'm sure I'll love them."

They showed him everything they bought, and just like he'd said, he loved the shirts they'd bought for him. Other than the shirts for him, they'd bought some new coloring books, a few toys, and some clothes for themselves. They also showed him what Irina had bought for herself. That included a few shirts, a skirt, and a perfume.

When Irina walked in they were going through some of the brochures that they'd taken from the places they'd visited. She bit her bottom lip thinking he was overdoing it, but smiled a little when everyone looked at her.

"Hi."

"Hi."

"Hi, mommy. We're showing daddy the places we visited today."

"It seems like you visited some nice places, and I've heard you had a great time." Irina nodded at Jack.

"Yeah, we certainly did, and the places we visited were quite nice." He nodded.

"I'm glad." She nodded again, and then looked at the triplets.

"Why don't you take all the stuff we bought into our room?"

"Okay, mommy." The triplets gathered all the things and left the room. Irina noticed all the books, magazines, and newspapers lying around.

"Have you been reading?"

"Yes."

"Do you think that's such a good idea? You should really take it easy, and not rush your recovery."

"What else is there for me to do?"

"No, I know, but still. Don't overdue it."

"I'll hardly overdue it and it won't interfere with my recovery. It's just reading."

"Yes, but you should be resting."

"I am resting. If the doctor didn't think it was a good idea, he would've told me. When he examined me today, he said I was doing better than yesterday, and he was impressed by my progress."

"Yes, I know, I just talked to him." Jack got a little annoyed.

"Well, then trust what the doctor's telling you, and trust me when I tell you that I'm fine, and that I know how much my body can take and that I would never overdue it."

"Okay, okay. No need to get worked up over it." They stayed silent until the triplets returned a few moments later. Jack smiled at them.

"How about you tell me more about your time out?"

"Okay, daddy."

They talked about their time out until it was time for dinner. Irina and the triplets went to the cafeteria to eat, while Jack was left alone in his room. When he was done eating, he picked up the book he'd been reading in the afternoon, and was still reading when they came back a while later.

"Hi, daddy. How was dinner?" Jack laughed a little.

"I've had better." The triplets laughed a little too.

"Soon you'll be able to come home and have a home cooked meal."

"Yeah, I look forward to that."

"We look forward to that too, and to going home."

"We'll be able to do that soon. As you know the doctor says I'm doing better with every passing day, so we should probably be able to leave in a week or so."

"That's really good news."

"Yeah, I think so too."

"Since it'll be a while before we're going to call home, do you want to play cards with us, daddy?"

"I'd love to."

Irina bit her bottom lip again, not thinking it was a good idea to let Jack join in the card game. But she also didn't want to argue with him again, remembering what happened earlier, and knowing that, that definitely wasn't good for his recovery. Maddie looked at Irina.

"Mommy, you're playing too, right?" Irina smiled at her.

"Of course."

They pulled up chairs around Jack's bed and played cards until it was time to call home. Irina dialed the number, put the speaker on, and put the phone down on the bed so that everyone could talk.

"_Hi guys."_ Jack smiled at hearing Sydney's voice.

"Hi sweetheart."

"_HI GRANDPA."_ Jack laughed when all the grandchildren yelled out to him at the same time.

"Hello to you too, sweethearts."

"_WE'VE MISSED YOU."_

"_Why don't you talk to grandpa one at a time?"_ They heard Sydney addressing the children before she got back on the phone with them again. _"Sorry about that, dad."_ Jack chuckled.

"It's okay."

"_Hi grandpa. How are you? This is Isabelle by the way."_ He chuckled again.

"Yeah, I can hear that. I'm getting better every day, and I've missed you too. I've missed all of you."

"_Hi grandpa__. Oh, yeah. HI GRANDMA, CAITIE, MADDIE, AND ETHAN."_ They all laughed at Becky.

"_HI GRANDMA, CAITIE, MADDIE, AND ETHAN."_ They laughed at Isabelle and Sarah too, when they shouted into the phone.

"Hi sweethearts."

"Hi." The triplets greeted everyone simultaneously.

"_Grandpa?"_

"Yes, Becky."

"_When are you all coming home?"_

"It'll be a little while yet. But probably in a week or so."

"_I wish you'd all come home sooner."_

"Yeah, we'd wish that too."

"_Hang on, grandpa. Sarah wants to talk to you."_ Jack smiled.

"Okay."

"_Hi grandpa."_

"Hi sweetheart."

"_I don't really have a question for you. I just wanted to say hi."_ Jack chuckled again.

"Hi yourself."

"_I have something I need to tell grandpa."_

"_Grandpa, Isabelle wants to talk to you again."_

"Okay, put her on."

"_Grandpa, uncle Kendall, uncle Marshall, aunt, Carrie, Mitchell, Matt, Chloe, Gracie, uncle Marcus, Stephen, Robin, and __Hayden says hi too. They couldn't be here tonight."_

"Thank you. Say hi to them from me the next time you see them."

"_I will. Daddy, aunt Nadia, uncle Eric, u__ncle Sergei, Katya, uncle Will, and aunt Rachel are here. Do you want to talk to any of them?"_

"Yeah, I'd like that."

"_Okay, hang on."_

They spent a little more than an hour and a half talking to everyone at home. When they hung up Irina looked at the triplets.

"Time for bed." She looked at Jack. "I'm guessing you're tired too." He nodded.

"Yeah, a bit."

"I'll go and get the nurse, and then go make our beds ready. I'll be back later."

"Okay." She left and the triplets spent a few minutes saying goodnight to Jack. After they'd left Irina returned to the room a few minutes later.

"The nurse will be here in a few minutes."

"Okay, thanks."

"Sure." They were silent for a few seconds not really knowing what to say to each other.

"It was nice talking to everyone again."

"Yes, absolutely. I mean, I know I've talked to them before. But when I talked to them that first time after not talking to them for so long, it was really great. So I can only imagine it was the same for you." He nodded.

"Yeah, most definitely." They were silent for a few more seconds. Irina tugged a loose strand of hair behind her ear and looked at Jack.

"Well, I should let you get your rest. Goodnight Jack."

"Goodnight." She turned to leave, but only took a few steps before Jack called out to her. "Irina?" She turned around.

"Yes, Jack."

He looked at her and wanted to ask her how she was doing. He wanted them to talk about what happened, but also realized that he wouldn't push her, when it seemed to him that she clearly wasn't ready. The last thing he wanted to do was push her further away.

"How are the triplets? I mean, they seem fine, but still."

"I've talked to them about what they went through. Sydney and Nadia have too. They were scared, but were not tortured, though they were blindfolded and tied up for most of the time, which is of course horrible enough." He nodded. "However, they were given food and water, and allowed trips to the bathroom, where they had a chance to wash up a bit too. But I think that being around the two of us have helped them a lot. You know how they were in Russia when you came there and how they were for a while after we moved to L.A."

"Yeah, I remember."

"We're their safety net, and as long as they're with us, they're at ease."

"We should probably still talk to them about what happened. I think it'll do them good to talk about it again, and also with me hearing about it and being there."

"Of course."

"Maybe we could talk about it tomorrow after lunch? I think the sooner we talk to them the better. And if we talk to them after lunch they'll have time to go outside and get some fresh air and get their minds off of it."

"Yeah, I think that's better rather than wait until just before bedtime."

"Exactly. So we have a deal then? Tomorrow after lunch we'll talk to the triplets about their time being captured?"

"Yes."

"You're okay with that?" She smiled a little

"Yes, I'm fine with that."

Jack didn't believe she was completely fine with it. He hoped the triplets wouldn't ask them any questions that they, or especially Irina, weren't ready to answer. He himself also didn't want to be the reason for the conversation to go into a direction Irina wasn't ready for. But he also believed that they should both talk to the triplets about what happened to them and their feelings, as soon as possible. He promised himself that the conversation tomorrow would be about the triplets and not about Irina and him. He nodded.

"Okay."

"Anything else?" He shook his head.

"No that was it."

"Okay. Goodnight."

"Goodnight." She left and Jack sighed and waited for the nurses to come into the room, so that he could get some sleep.

* * *

The next morning when the triplets walked out of Jack's room to go to the cafeteria for breakfast, Irina stayed behind for a few seconds. She and Jack agreed that she would take the triplets outside for a walk after breakfast and tell them that she and Jack would be talking to them after lunch about their time in Kashmir. That way they'd be prepared.

Jack spent the time reading but also worrying about how the conversation would go. He didn't want to make the triplets uncomfortable, but he needed to hear for himself how they were doing. He didn't think that they would hide how they felt, if they were still very shook up about being captured. But he also wouldn't put it passed them to be more worried about Irina and himself than their own wellbeing, which is why he thought it'd be best that he and Irina talked to them together.

During the time Jack was waiting for Irina and the triplets, he was also examined by the doctor, who told him he was making further progress in his recovery. Jack then asked that he, Irina, and the triplets be left alone when his lunch tray had been taken away. The doctor had agreed to that, and had told Jack that he'd let the nurses know not to come to his room until Irina had told them that they could come back in.

When Jack's lunch tray had been taken away, he picked up the book he'd been reading to pass the time until Irina and the triplets came back. A lot of time passed and he figured that the reason for that was that either Irina or the triplets were a bit nervous about the conversation.

The second they walked into his room he put the book down and looked up at them smiling.

"Hi."

"Hi, daddy."

"How are you feeling, daddy?"

"I feel fine, thank you. The doctor examined me awhile ago, and he said that I was doing better and was impressed with my recovery."

"That's great news, daddy."

"Yeah, I think so too. Now what about you? How are you doing?"

"We're fine."

"Mommy told you what we'd be talking about?" They all nodded. "How do you feel about talking about it again?" They all shrugged.

"We'd rather not."

"We'd rather put it behind us."

"But we also know it might be good for us if we talk about it again."

"Yeah, mommy and I think that'll be best for you. But if you at any time feel uncomfortable and don't want to continue, let us know and we'll stop talking about it. Okay?"

"Yes, daddy." He smiled at them.

"Good. Pull the chairs over here, and let's start out slowly from the beginning."

Irina and the triplets pulled the chairs up next to Jack's bed and all sat on the same side. When they were seated the triplets looked at each other for a few seconds, and then Ethan started talking.

"Well, we were out for recess and playing with our friends. Then suddenly out of nowhere two vans came, racing into the school yard. We were too surprised to move, and before we knew it, they grabbed us and took us with them."

"When we got in the van, we were drugged, and we can't really tell you anything about our trip to where we were held captured. We each woke up from time to time, but were drugged again."

"When we then finally woke up completely, we were tied up and blindfolded, and we started crying out for you and mommy. We got more and more scared when no one came, but we also tried to stay as calm as we could by talking to each other."

The triplets stayed silent for a little while and all looked down in the floor. Both Jack and Irina looked at them a little concerned. Neither of them wanted to push the triplets into going on, so they stayed silent too. After another few moments of silence had passed, Irina stroked Caitie on the back. Caitie looked up at her, and Maddie and Ethan looked up too. Maddie looked at Jack and he felt reassured that he could push her, a little into talking again. He smiled at her.

"Then what happened?"

"After a while the door opened and two people walked in. Then they walked over to us and removed our blindfolds."

"One of them was taller than the other, but they were both rather old. They had an evil look on their faces and that scared us even more."

"They started talking about how we'd never see you two again, or anyone else we knew. Then the short guy said that he'd be our new daddy, and that we would come to learn that mommy abandoned us. They said they'd brainwash us into believing that, and that there was nothing anyone could do to prevent that."

"That only scared us even more, and we started crying and calling out for you even harder. They started laughing at us, and continued to laugh for a little while. Then they blindfolded us again and they left."

"Some time later the short guy came back with a few guards to bring us food and water. We were skeptical about eating and drinking anything he brought us, but he ate a piece of carrot to prove to us that it wasn't poisoned or drugged, so we decided to go ahead and eat. The water bottles hadn't been opened, so we decided that, that probably wasn't poisoned or drugged either." Jack smiled at them.

"You did the right thing." They smiled back at him a little, and also smiled at Irina, who also smiled at them.

"Yes, you did." They nodded and Maddie went on.

"The guards then tied us differently so that we could eat. Then they left, but the short guy stayed with us for a little while."

"He said that he was an old friend of yours, and that he also knew Sydney and Nadia. He said that you had betrayed him, which was why he wanted to get back at you by taking us. He also said you didn't deserve us and that he'd do a better job at raising us than you did."

"After talking to us for a while, he left so we could finish our food, and told us that if we needed to go to the restroom we should just call out because there were guards right outside the door."

"We were left alone for a while, and when he came back and asked us if we needed to use the restroom, we decided to agree to that because we really needed to go. We were taken to the restroom one by one, but he didn't really say much to any of us. When we were all back again, we were blindfolded and tied up the same way as before we ate."

"After that the same thing happened day after day. However, he was the only one, out of the two men, who came to see us. He'd usually be there when we ate. Though, the last few days we were there, he wasn't there for that many of the meals. He didn't say much to us because we didn't talk to him, but he did say that it wouldn't be long before we were brainwashed and to him becoming our daddy."

"When we weren't eating, we'd be tied up and blindfolded and left alone. The only time we'd be free was when we went to the restroom. He allowed us to wash up a bit too."

"Did he ever hit you or hurt you in any other way? Did the guards?"

"No, daddy. The only thing, which hurt, was him telling us, he'd be our new daddy, and that we'd never see you and mommy again, or anyone else from home."

"Did anything else happen?"

"No. We got more and more scared that we'd never see you again, and it was hard to believe that we would. But then Nadia and Eric came, and we knew that we'd be alright and that we'd see you again."

"Though, the first few days here in the hospital we didn't really know what would happen to you, and we were scared that we'd lose you." Ethan then smiled at his father. "But then we realized that you'd be just fine even if the doctor didn't think so, and that helped us feel better and better each day."

Jack looked at Ethan puzzled and looked at Maddie and Caitie the same way. He then looked at Irina, who looked just as puzzled as him. She caught his eyes and shrugged, not knowing either what Ethan was referring to. Jack then looked back at Ethan and just decided to smile.

"I'm glad." Maddie looked from one parent to the other.

"Was that short guy really your friend?" Jack and Irina looked at each other, and Jack gave her a nod indicating he'd answer.

"He was once. Or at least he was my friend. But he did some bad things, and I realized a long time ago that he was never really my friend to begin with, or at least not after mommy and I got married. Friends don't hurt each other the way he hurt mommy and me."

"What about that other guy?" Caitie looked at her mother. "That one time he was with us he said that he was a close friend of yours, and that he knew you really, really well." Irina swallowed and Jack could see that she was uncomfortable with the mention of Cuvee. Irina shook her head and looked at Caitie.

"I knew him, but he was never my friend. Never." She gave Caitie a little smile. "You don't ever have to worry about him anymore. He will never be a problem again." She looked at Maddie and Ethan too, and all three nodded. Irina avoided eye contact with Jack.

"What about the short guy? What happened to him?" Jack took a deep breath, hoping the answer wouldn't scare them or upset them.

"Unfortunately, he got away." Both Jack and Irina saw a glimpse of fear in the triplets' eyes. "He was injured before he got away, and in the same place he'd been injured before, so there's a good chance that he'll never be able to hurt anyone again. When we go home, we'll make sure that you're well protected wherever you go. Please don't let him scare you, because we'll make sure that he can't get to you again. Okay?" Jack gave the triplets a reassuring smile, and they felt more at ease.

"Okay, daddy." They looked at Irina too, and felt more at ease when she also gave them a reassuring smile.

"Good. Did anything else happen that you'd like to talk about?" They shook their heads.

"No that was all that happened while we were there."

"So how do you feel now that you've had some time to keep it at bay?"

"We feel a lot better."

"How could we not feel better when we're with you and mommy?" They smiled at their parents and they smiled back at the triplets. "We know that we're safe with you and mommy, and that we have nothing to be afraid of when we're with you."

"That's why we also haven't thought much about what happened. Well, we don't really want to think about it, but we can put it passed us somewhat fast because we're safe now and we're around you and mommy."

Jack and Irina smiled at them again, and also looked at each other and for the first time since Jack woke up they gave each other a bigger smile than they'd done before. But it only lasted for a few seconds as Irina looked at the triplets again. Jack sighed inwardly thinking she was still uncomfortable with the mention of especially Cuvee, so he too focused his attention on the triplets again.

"What about at night? Do you have any nightmares about what happened?" The triplets shook their heads.

"No, no nightmares."

"Since we came to the hospital we've been near you and mommy when we've slept, so that's been enough to make us sleep soundly and it still is."

Jack looked at Caitie a little oddly not knowing what she meant by sleeping near him too. He wrote it off as her meaning that his room was not that far from the room they slept in and smiled at her.

"We're very glad to hear that. But if you do have any problems or if there's anything you'd like to talk about, you come and tell us. We don't want you to have problems later on because you held something back now or didn't talk about it enough."

"And if you feel you can't talk to us about it for some reason, please talk to someone else about it. Talk to Sydney or Nadia or anyone." The triplets nodded.

"We will."

Jack looked at Irina wondering if she had been referring to herself. He wondered if she'd talk to someone else instead of talking to him. He hoped that she'd talk to him, but also still didn't want to push her into talking. Deciding not to think more about it now, he turned his attention back to the triplets.

"So how do you feel right now after having just talked about everything?" The triplets shrugged.

"We feel okay. We talked to you about it and that's better than talking to some psychiatrist."

"It's better to talk to someone you know rather than talk to a stranger."

"Do we have to talk to a psychiatrist at home?"

Jack and Irina looked at each other and without discussing it they knew that the triplets would be fine and didn't need to talk to a professional about what happened. They nodded at each other and then looked back at the triplets. Irina shook her head.

"No, you don't have to talk to anyone when we get home if you don't want to. You seem to be doing very well, and daddy and I are very happy about that. But like we said, if you want to talk about it again, you come and talk to us."

"We will, mommy."

"Do you want to talk more about it now?"

"No, we've said everything there is to say about it."

"Okay. Thank you very much for telling us about it, and for also telling me. We know it can't be easy to talk about and relive, so we really appreciate you talking about it." Maddie smiled at him.

"You're welcome, daddy." He smiled back at Maddie and motioned for her to come to him and give him a hug.

"Come here, sweetheart." She got up from her seat and put her arms around Jack's neck allowing him to hug her back as much as he could, and positioning herself so that she wouldn't hurt his stitches. He kissed her cheek, and then looked at her smiling. "I love you." She smiled back.

"I love you too, daddy."

When Jack hugged Maddie, Irina bit her bottom lip. She was afraid that he was pushing himself too far, and that it could cause him to have a set back. To take her eyes off of it she motioned for Caitie to give her a hug. She gave her the same treatment that Jack was giving Maddie. Ethan and Caitie also got the same treatment from their father that Maddie did, and Maddie and Ethan got the same treatment from their mother that Caitie did.

Irina looked around at the triplets when she'd hugged and kissed Ethan.

"So do you three want to go out for a walk to get your mind off of everything?" They shook their heads simultaneously.

"No, we'd rather stay here and play cards with daddy or a board game." Ethan looked at Jack.

"If that's alright with you, daddy?" Jack smiled at the triplets.

"Yes, it most certainly is alright with me."

"Is it alright with you too, mommy?" Irina could use the fresh air to get her mind off of things, but her main focus was on the triplets and not herself. She nodded and smiled.

"Of course it is."

"Great. What should we play?"

"We should probably play cards." Irina looked at Jack. "Jack, don't you think that'll be easier?"

Jack thought it would be alright to place a board game on the bed, so that Irina and the triplets could sit on both sides of him. But he also didn't want to argue with Irina in front of the triplets. He nodded.

"Yeah, it'll probably be easier with the cards. That way I won't accidentally knock over some of the pieces on the board." The triplets laughed, Jack chuckled, while Irina merely smiled a little.

"Okay. I'll get the cards." Ethan got up from his seat and got the cards from the table, while Irina and Caitie went to sit on the other side of Jack.

They played card for the rest of the afternoon, but also talked. At dinnertime Irina and the triplets went to the cafeteria to eat. Jack felt lonely eating by himself, but found comfort in knowing that the triplets were doing great with everything they'd been put through and with everything that had happened to them.

* * *

When Irina and the triplets came back to Jack's room they continued playing cards and talking. Later in the evening they called home to Sydney and Nadia, and talked to everyone, who were staying at their houses.

After the last phone conversation ended Irina got her and the triplets' bedroom ready for bed while the triplets said goodnight to Jack. When the triplets left Jack's room, Irina came in to say goodnight to him a few seconds later.

"I just talked to the nurse, and they'll be in here in a minute."

"Okay. Thanks." After a few seconds of silence Jack continued talking. "The triplets really seem to be doing fine." Irina nodded.

"Yeah, they do." She smiled a little. "Our little troopers." Jack smiled too.

"Yeah they certainly are."

He wanted to say that he was glad they hadn't been hurt by Cuvee and hadn't had much contact with him, but he thought that the mention of Cuvee might upset Irina, and he didn't want to do that. He had managed to not let the conversation in the afternoon be much about Cuvee, and was happy about that, and happy that the triplets hadn't asked more about him than they did. He didn't have time to think more about what to add as Irina started talking again.

"And since they're doing so fine now, I'm sure that, that won't change. They might start to feel a bit uncomfortable when they have to go back to school, but that's a long time away, so they don't need to think about that at the moment." Jack nodded.

"Yeah, I think you're right."

The door opened and three nurses stepped in.

"Oh Mrs. Bristow, we didn't know you were still in here. If you're not done yet, we can leave and come back in a couple of minutes." Irina shook her head.

"No, we're done." She turned to look at Jack. "Right, Jack?" He wanted her to stay longer just so that he could be with her. But he thought that she might be uncomfortable, so he decided not to ask her to stay. He nodded.

"Yeah, sure." Irina smiled a little at him.

"Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

Irina left his room and the nurses helped Jack lay down. After they left Jack went to sleep feeling lonely, but also happy that the triplet were doing fine.

**TBC**


	31. Chapter 31

**SofiaBlackBristow:** Yeah, a lot is missing between Jack and Irina. Jack doesn't think Irina's ready for any kind of intimacy, and Irina thinks that just the smallest touch can set back Jack's recovery. Unfortunately, it'll take a long time before things go back to normal between them. Kiss to you too. Thank you for reading and reviewing - it means so much. :-)

**NOTE:** I should've added this note when Jack was admitted to the hospital, but better late than never. *lol* I don't have a medical background, so I don't know if the medical stuff could happen in real life. Just remember that everything is purely fiction. *lol*

* * *

**Chapter 31**

The next day started out as the previous. Irina and the triplets came to Jack's room to say good morning and then went to the cafeteria to eat. His food came to his room shortly after they left, and when they were done eating in the cafeteria, they came to his room to tell him they were going out and would be back some time in the afternoon.

Jack started reading a book after Irina and the triplets left, and he continued reading until his lunch came.

When his lunch tray had been taken away the doctor came in as the nurse left.

"Hello Mr. Bristow."

"Hi doctor."

"How are you feeling today?"

"I feel better every day."

"That's good to hear. I'm here to give you your daily examination."

"Do your business." The doctor chuckled a little and started his examination.

When the doctor was done examining Jack, he looked at him.

"Everything looks really good. How do you feel about getting out of bed today and trying to walk a bit around?" Jack looked at the doctor a little surprised.

"Seriously?"

"It's been six days since you woke up and you're making a great and speedy recovery. You're progressing every single day, so I see no reason why you shouldn't get out of bed and start walking around. But with your medical record I know that you're no stranger to sever injuries, so I'm sure your body have learned to heal faster over the years, and that, that's the reason why you're doing so good with every passing day."

"Yeah, my body's been put through a bit of this and a bit of that over the years."

"But you're also very healthy and very fit, so that also helps with your recovery too." Jack nodded. "So, are you ready to walk around?"

"Yes, absolutely."

"Good. I'll just get a couple of nurses to help me."

"I'll be here." Both Jack and the doctor laughed a little, and a few minutes later the doctor returned with two nurses and a pair of crutches, which the doctor put on a nearby chair.

"Okay, what we're going to do is just rub your legs a little to get the circulation going and then after gently take hold of your legs and swing them over the side of the bed. If you at any moment start to feel uncomfortable or if you're in too much pain, let us know and we'll stop. Alright?"

"Yes."

"Good. Here we go." He removed the covers and he along with one of the nurses rubbed Jack's legs. A few seconds later they stopped. "That should do it." He looked at Jack. "Are you ready?"

"Ready as I'll ever be."

The nurses stood on each side of the bed and took hold of Jack underneath his arms. The doctor took hold of Jack's legs, and together they helped him sit with his legs over the bed. Jack winced a little in pain.

"Are you alright, Mr. Bristow?"

"Yes, I'm fine."

"Okay, let me just check your stitches." The doctor examined the stitches and looked at Jack. "Everything is fine. Are you ready to go on?"

"Yes."

"Good." The nurse, who had been on the opposite side of the doctor and the other nurse, came around the bed and stood on the same side as them. "We'll help you to stand up and then give you the crutches. The reason why we're given you crutches instead of a walker is that it's better for you to walk upright rather than being hunched over the walker."

"Okay."

"Okay here we go."

The nurses took hold of Jack under his arms again while the doctor stood in front of him ready to hold him steady if that would be the case. The minute Jack stood upright and the doctor saw that he was fine, he handed Jack the crutches. The nurses kept a hold of him and let him get adjusted to them.

The doctor looked at him, and Jack nodded.

"I'm good."

"Okay. We'll let go of you and give you some room, so that you can take a few steps whenever you're ready." Jack nodded and the doctor and nurses stepped away from him.

Jack took a couple of breaths before taking his first step. He stood still for a few seconds after that but then proceeded to take a few more steps and then a few more steps. He looked at the doctor when he ended up in front of him.

"How far am I allowed to walk?" The doctor smiled.

"Well, you seem to be doing very well, so I would say that it's up to you."

"In that case I'd like to get out of the room and walk around in the halls."

"If you feel you're up to it, then by all means do it. But don't overdue it. If you at any moment feel it's too much, you should stop walking." Jack nodded.

"I will."

"Good. The nurses will go with you and make sure that you're alright. That way if you start to feel pain they'll be right by your side to help." Jack nodded again.

"That's fine." The doctor nodded and smiled.

"Have fun walking. I'll come and find you later to see how you are."

"Okay." The doctor opened the door and let Jack walk out first. The nurses followed him and then the doctor left the room.

* * *

A couple of hours later Irina and the triplets came back and walked into Jack's room. They were surprised to see he wasn't there and Irina immediately got alarmed. Maddie turned around and looked at her mother.

"Where's daddy?" Irina was still staring at the empty bed.

"I don't know, sweetheart, I don't know." She looked at the triplets. "Will you be alright here while I go and find out where daddy is?" They nodded and smiled.

"Sure mommy." She smiled back.

"Okay. I'll hurry." Caitie smiled.

"Take your time." Irina smiled at them again before leaving the room.

When Irina was out in the hall she spotted one of the nurses sitting at the desk and walked up to her.

"Excuse me, but do you know where my husband is?" The nurse smiled at her.

"He's out walking around." Irina looked at the nurse incredulously.

"He's what?"

"The doctor examined your husband and thought that your husband was well enough to try walking. Your husband agreed." Irina got a little angry.

"My husband only woke up from his coma six days ago. He can't possibly be well enough to walk around so soon. He shouldn't be pushed into doing something he's not ready to do."

"Mrs. Bristow, I understand your concern, bu.." Irina got angrier and cut the nurse off.

"Oh you understand? Do you really? Has your husband been shot in the chest and nearly died?" Irina looked at the nurse for a few seconds. "Well, has he?" The nurse smiled politely.

"No, Mrs. Bristow."

"Then you can't possibly understand."

"No, I realize I can't. But the doctor knows what's best for your husband, and he decided that the best thing for your husband was to walk around if your husband was up for it, which he was."

"The doctor also thought that my husband was going to die. He's a quack and knows nothing." The nurse nodded.

"Yes, the doctor was proven wrong and everyone is only happy about that. But that also only shows how strong your husband is. He's already improved a lot in the days he's been awake, and I'm sure your husband would've told the doctor if he wasn't up for walking around."

"Don't be so sure of that."

"Of course you know your husband best, but with what he went through, I'm sure he wouldn't endanger his health." The nurse waited to see if Irina would respond, but when she didn't, see continued. "Two nurses have been by your husband's side at all times in case he needed help. But he's managed just fine walking around. He's used crutches the entire time, and has also rested from time to time."

"Two nurses have been by his side?" The nurse nodded.

"Yes."

Irina was disappointed that Jack hadn't waited to walk around until she and the triplets came back. She wanted to have gone with him. She was jealous at the same time that two nurses had been by his side all that time. Irina sighed and spoke calmly to the nurse.

"Could you find my husband and tell him that we're back and waiting in his room?" The nurse smiled.

"Yes, certainly." Irina smiled back a little.

"Thank you."

"Don't mention it." Irina nodded and went back to Jack's room.

"Did you find daddy?" She smiled at them.

"Daddy's apparently doing so good that the doctor thought he was strong enough to walk around. I didn't find him but told one of the nurses to find him and tell him we're back. He should be here soon."

"That's great that daddy's walking."

"Hopefully that means we can all go home soon."

"We'll see. There's still a long way from walking a bit around to being released from the hospital."

"But it's still a good sign that he's already out of bed and walking." Irina smiled at her son.

"Yes, it is."

A short while later Jack entered the room with the two nurses. He smiled at everyone. The triplets smiled widely at him, but Irina only gave him a weak smile.

"Hi guys."

"Hi daddy."

"It's great that you're out of bed and that you're walking."

"It certainly feels great. How was your day?"

"It was very nice."

"I can't wait to hear about it."

"Jack, maybe you should rest. You've been walking around for a long time, so you need to get back into bed and rest." One of the nurses smiled at Irina.

"Actually Mr. Bristow has been doing very well and has incredible strength and stamina. He's also rested plenty, so he doesn't need to be in bed to rest. He can sit down if he wants to."

The nurse and everyone else looked at Jack and smiled with the exception of Irina. Irina, on the other hand, gave the nurse her death glare, but quickly changed her facial expression when the nurse looked back at Irina. She nodded.

"I see."

"Well in that case I'd like to sit down on one of the couches." The nurse nodded.

"That sounds like a good idea. We'll help you sit down."

Jack walked towards the couches followed by the nurses. He gave one of the crutches to one of the nurses and while still holding on to the other crutch the nurses helped him to sit down. He looked at them and smiled a little.

"Thank you."

"No problem, Mr. Bristow. Just let us know when you want to get up again and we'll come and help you."

"I will." The nurse with the crutch took the other crutch from Jack and put them against the wall. The nurses then left and the triplets sat down on the couches too. Maddie sat next to Jack while Caitie and Ethan sat down on the other couch opposite them. Jack smiled at them. "So, tell me about your day."

As the triplets started talking about their day Irina looked at Jack still worried that he was overdoing things, but sat down on the same couch as Caitie and Ethan and joined the conversation.

Two hours later Irina looked at her watch, and then at the triplets.

"Well, I don't know about you three, but I'm starting to get hungry." She looked at Jack. "I'm sure you're getting hungry too."

"Yeah, now that you mention it."

"That settles it then. We'll head off to the cafeteria now and let one of the nurses know that you're ready for your dinner."

"Actually, I thought I could go with you. Since I've already been up and walking I see no point in why I couldn't go with you to the cafeteria."

"Jack, I don't think that's a good idea. Yes, you've been up and walking, but that's also why you should rest. You shouldn't overdue it."

"I'm not."

"Still, Jack, I think you should stay here."

"Well, I don't." He was getting a little annoyed with Irina. "I'm perfectly aware of how much my body can handle, and I know it won't be a problem to go to the cafeteria and have dinner sitting up at a table." She started to get a little annoyed with him too.

"You shouldn't go anywhere without talking to the doctor first."

"Then get the doctor." Jack noticed the triplets looking from one parent to the other. Irina noticed too, and Jack spoke calmer. "Please." Irina nodded.

"Okay." Irina got up and left the room while Jack smiled at the triplets and they continued talking until Irina got back a minute later. "The doctor will be here shortly." Jack nodded and they continued talking until the doctor arrived a few minutes later.

"Hello everyone. I heard you needed to talk to me, Mr. Bristow."

"Yes. I just wanted to know if it'll be alright if I had dinner in the cafeteria with my family."

"Yes, if you think you're up for it, I see no problem with that." Jack nodded.

"I feel just fine, so I doubt I'll have any problems." The doctor smiled.

"That's good to hear. Just make sure to get help if you feel any discomfort."

"I will."

"I'll get a couple of nurses to help you, and have them, walk with you to the cafeteria." Jack nodded and the doctor left.

A few minutes later three nurses entered the room. They gave Jack one of the crutches to hold on to while at the same time two nurses helped him up by holding onto an arm of his each. The third nurse stood in front of him to help in case he should fall over. When he was steady on his feet she went to get the other crutch and handed it to him.

"Are you in any pain, Mr. Bristow?"

"No, it went better getting up this time."

"That's good."

"Are you ready to leave then?"

"Yes."

"Okay. If the rest of you are ready to leave too, we can go to the cafeteria." Irina nodded slightly at the nurse.

"Yes, we're ready to leave." The nurse smiled at Irina and the triplets and then looked at Jack.

"After you, Mr. Bristow."

The walk to the cafeteria went just fine, though Irina was constantly worried about Jack. The triplets on the other hand complimented him on his recovery and how well he was doing. Dinner was a bit of a quiet affair, though the triplets talked a lot and Jack and Irina took part in the conversation. After dinner Jack and Irina had a cup of coffee and then all five of them walked around the halls for a little while much to Irina's concern that Jack was overdoing it. Though she didn't let her concerns be heard.

When they got back to Jack's room they called home. They called Sydney's house first and then Nadia's. After hanging up with Nadia it was time for the triplets to go to bed, and Irina went to make the waiting room ready for sleep while the triplets said goodnight to Jack. When the triplets left the room Irina entered with three nurses. She said a quick goodnight to him and left the room before he even had a chance to get into bed.

The nurses helped him get ready for bed and then helped him lie down. When they left and turned off the lights Jack was happy about his own progress, but sad about his situation with Irina. And once again his thoughts went to Kashmir and the horror they went through.

* * *

A couple of hours later at APO, Sydney, Nadia, Vaughn, Eric, Dixon, Kendall, Marshall, Carrie, Katya, and Rachel were all sitting in the meeting room. Sydney, Nadia, Vaughn, Eric, Carrie, Katya, and Rachel had all agreed to come to APO for a little while to do some work.

Sydney's phone rang and she looked at the number. Not recognizing it she answered it anyway.

"Hello?"

"_Hello Sydney, it's Julian. I promise you, I'll forget all about your number, but I just wanted to call and hear how things went."_

"Hang on, Sark. I'm just going to put you on speakers, so that everyone else can listen." Everyone looked surprised at Sydney by the mention of Sark's name.

"It's Sark?" Sydney nodded. "What does he want?"

"He just wants to know if everything went alright." Sydney turned to look at Marshall. "Marshall, could you hook my phone up to the speakers?"

"Sure Syd." He took her phone and a few moments later he nodded. "Go ahead."

"Sark, you're on speakers now."

"_Hello. As I told Sydney, I won't be bothering any of you again, but I just wanted to check in and hear how everything went."_ When there was no reaction from anyone, Sark went on. _"So how did everything go? Did you get Jack, Irina, and the triplets out safely? Did you get Sloane and Cuvee?"_

Everyone looked around at each other to see who should answer Sark. Finally Dixon decided to answer him.

"We rescued the triplets without any problems, but Sloane apparently noticed us coming and got away with a few guards. Marshall did shoot him in the same knee where he was injured in Mongolia, so hopefully that'll cause him problems in the future." They heard Sark sigh on the other end.

"_I'm sorry you weren't able to get Sloane. But good for Marshall that he shot him. I'm very happy to hear that. And I'm also very happy to hear that the triplets got out alright. But what about Jack, Irina, and Cuvee?"_ Dixon continued.

"We got Cuvee. Or rather Jack got Cuvee. Cuvee was going to rape Irina and had set everything up and was ready. But luckily Jack was able to get free from his restrains. Unfortunately he wasn't strong enough to fight off Cuvee and Cuvee shot Jack in the chest."

"_What? Is Jack alright? I mean, I know you said Jack got Cuvee, but he was shot."_

"Cuvee didn't kill Jack, and while Cuvee was busy getting ready to hurt Irina, Jack had enough strength to get Cuvee's gun that was lying on the floor. He killed Cuvee before he could hurt Irina." Sark sighed in relief.

"_I'm so happy to hear that. So Jack and Irina are alright now?" _

"Yes, they're alright, though we thought we were going to lose Jack at one point. Jack is also still in the hospital and he'll be staying there for a little while yet, though he's making excellent progress every day."

"_That's really great news. Thank you for telling me. And once again I'm sorry for all the pain I've caused all of you. Well, I'll let you be and not bother you again. I really only wanted to know if everything turned out alright."_

"Sark, wait a minute."

"_Yes?"_

"Your help in us getting to Jack, Irina, and the triplets has been passed on to our superiors. You're still on the most wanted list, but have been placed further down the list. Because of your help we won't be hunting for you anymore provided that you don't fall back into your hold habits."

There was silence at the other end of the line, and when Sark spoke again it was clear to everyone that he was clearly touched.

"_You have no idea what this mean__s to me. Thank you. Thank you so much. I definitely don't deserve it, but it means more to me than you'll ever know. And you can be sure that I'll never turn back to my hold ways."_

"That's good to hear. You're most likely still wanted in a bunch of other countries around the world, so you should still watch your back. And you should also watch out for Sloane."

"_I will. Thank you again. Thank you."_ When no one said anything else, Sark thought it was best to finish the conversation. _"I should hang up and let you get back to whatever you were doing. Take care. Bye."_

"Bye Sark."

When Sark hung up the phone they all looked around each other silently appreciative that Sark had bothered calling to ask how things had turned out. After staying silent for a few moments they returned to work.

* * *

The next morning in India the triplets walked into Jack's room as usual.

"Good morning, daddy." He smiled at the sound of their voices.

"Good morning, sweethearts."

"How are you feeling?"

"I feel pretty good. Better than yesterday."

"That's great, daddy."

"Yeah, I think so too. Where's mommy?"

"She's just tidying up in the waiting room. She'll be here soon."

"Okay. Could one of you get the nurses?"

"Sure, daddy. I'll do it." Maddie left and the other three talked until Maddie returned with three nurses.

"Good morning, everyone. What can we do for you, Mr. Bristow?"

"I'd like to sit up." The nurses nodded and walked over to him.

"Any discomfort during the night?"

"No. I'm sore, but that's it. I actually feel pretty good."

"That's good. Well, if you're feeling that good what do you say, to joining your family for breakfast in the cafeteria?"

The triplets smiled excited to hear that, and Jack was happy about it too. He nodded.

"I think we would all like that."

"Okay then. Let's help you out of bed and get you a little cleaned up in the bathroom."

They got him out of bed and gave him the crutches, so that he could walk to the bathroom in his room on his own.

While Jack was in the bathroom the triplets sat on his bed, and a minute after Jack had gone to the bathroom, Irina walked into the room. She was surprised to see that Jack was not in bed at this early hour.

"Where's daddy?"

"He's in the bathroom."

"The nurses are helping him get ready, so that he can come to the cafeteria and have breakfast with us."

Irina stared a little at the triplets and then turned her eyes towards the bathroom door and stared at that. Her first thought was that she didn't like that Jack was up so early or up at all as she thought that he was overdoing it.

Her second thought was that she didn't like that he was in the bathroom with three nurses. One would've been bad enough, but three were much worse. She knew that she couldn't compare them to Blondie and the Bimbos. These nurses probably didn't have a thing for Jack, but she didn't like other women touching him. But seeing as he was not fully recovered she didn't like anyone touching him at all, thinking it could make his recovery slower.

She stopped staring at the door when it opened. Jack walked out first and when she saw him she smiled a little.

"Morning." He smiled back the same way.

"Morning."

"I hear you're coming with us to have breakfast."

"That's right."

"Do you really think that's a good idea? It's early in the day and I don't think you should be walking around this soon."

He started to get a little irritated, not wanting to have this discussion again. But after seeing the expression on the triplets' faces yesterday he decided to remain calm.

"Yes, I think it is a good idea. I feel well enough to do it and I'm not tired from yesterday or in any real pain. I walked around plenty yesterday and also sat up eating at a table, so I can do that today too."

"You should get the doctor's opinion first."

"I got the doctor's opinion yesterday, and since I'm feeling better and have no complications from yesterday, I see no reason why I shouldn't be able to go to the cafeteria without the doctor's opinion. The nurses said it would be alright." The nurses nodded.

"Mrs. Bristow, it would really be alright for him to go with you to the cafeteria." Irina looked at them.

"I would just really like to get the doctor's opinion on this."

"We can understand that, but we assure you that we're more than qualified to determine that it's alright for Mr. Bristow to join you in the cafeteria. The doctor would tell you the same thing."

Irina didn't feel like arguing with the nurses in front of the triplets. She didn't want to argue with Jack either thinking that it wouldn't be good for his recovery. She'd also seen the look the triplets had given her and Jack yesterday, which was also the reason she didn't want to argue with him.

"Fine."

"We'll go with you to the cafeteria and make sure Mr. Bristow is alright and then get him settled." Irina nodded.

"Good."

Jack looked at Irina and then at the triplets. He smiled at them.

"Let's go eat."

The walk to the cafeteria went well and so did breakfast. When they were done eating Irina looked around at the triplets.

"So, what do the three of you want to do today?" They looked at each other and then Ethan looked at his mother.

"We want to stay here and spend the day with daddy. Now that he can sit at a table, we can play a board game." Caitie looked at Jack.

"Of course if you're up for it, daddy?" He smiled at her.

"I most certainly am." He smiled at Ethan and Maddie too, who smiled back at him, but when he looked at Irina he could tell she didn't like the idea.

"Jack, I don't think it's a good idea. You need to rest." He shook his head slightly.

"No, what I need is to get my body back to normal. Sitting up and walking around the halls will help with that."

"But Ja.."

"You can be there when the doctor examines me if you'd like, and he'll tell you the exact same thing that I just did."

"You walked around a lot yesterday and also sat up a lot too. You need to take it easy."

"I _am_ taking it easy." Jack could feel his irritation starting to build, but calmed down when he looked at the triplets. He took a deep breath. "We will play board games and cards at the table here and walk around. In between we'll sit down on couches and relax. If I feel the need to lie down, I will." Irina sighed, and nodded but didn't like the idea.

"Very well."

The day went as Jack had said it would. After breakfast he asked for the doctor, so that he could get his examination out of the way, and so that Irina could hear for herself that he was well enough to sit at the table and walk around. The day then went by with playing cards and board games, walking, and relaxing on couches watching movies.

They had lunch and dinner in the cafeteria too, and after playing a board game and taking a walk after dinner, they watched a movie and some TV before walking back to Jack's room to call home.

When Irina walked out of Jack's room to get the waiting room ready for sleep, three nurses walked in, to help Jack lie down. They left the room before Irina walked back in. As Irina walked back in the room she saw first Maddie kissing Jack goodnight followed by Ethan and Caitie. Irina bit her bottom lip hoping Jack wasn't put through too much pressure. She walked further into the room as the triplets left and a few seconds of silence followed between her and Jack.

"It's good to hear that things are going well at home. The grandkids seem to be doing very well." Irina smiled a little at him.

"Yeah, they sound very happy."

"It's nice hearing from everyone else too."

"Yes absolutely." A few moments of silence followed. "Well, I should let you sleep."

He wanted to tell her to stay, but didn't want to push her into doing so. Instead he nodded.

"Okay."

"Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

Irina turned off the lights and left his room. Jack sighed heavily and closed his eyes hoping that he would fall asleep quickly.

**TBC**


	32. Chapter 32

**SofiaBlackBristow:** I'm so thrilled to hear you love it. Yeah, she definitely loves Jack very much and wants to be by his side at all times, but at the same time she can't stand to see him in pain. Kiss to you too. Thank you for reading and commenting - it means so much. :-)

**Rishka Derevko:** Thank you for thinking that. Yeah, it really is a shame, and they really should talk soon so that things can get back to normal - unfortunately that won't happen any time soon. Thank you for saying that. *lol* Yeah, I figured it wasn't necessary, but I just wanted to put it out there. *lol* Thank you for reading and commenting - it means so much. :-)

**Margaret-the 1st time:** Sorry there wasn't any double Ks for you, but they can't be in every chapter. *lol* I'm glad it's alright that they weren't in the chapter. *lol* Yeah, Jack and Irina are very stubborn, but Irina is too traumatized to touch Jack because she almost lost him and don't want to hurt him, and Jack thinks Irina's not ready for intimacy and therefore wants to give her, her space. Yeah, someone should do something to make them talk. I'm glad to hear you're looking forward to that - unfortunately it won't happen soon. Thank you and I hope you have a good holiday too. Thank you for reading and commenting - it means so much. :-)

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**Chapter 32**

The next day went much the same way as the previous day had gone. Jack had breakfast with Irina and the triplets in the cafeteria and after they played a board game. When Jack was examined by the doctor, Irina and the triplets went for a walk outside to get some fresh air.

When they came back from their walk, Jack met up with them and they walked around the halls for a little while before eating lunch in the cafeteria. Until dinnertime they spent the time playing cards, playing board games, watching TV and movies, and walking around.

After dinner they walked around and after the triplets colored, while Jack and Irina each read a book, and looked at the triplets' drawings from time to time, commenting on how nice they looked.

When it was time for bed nothing changed from the previous night. The triplets said goodnight to Jack first, and after Irina said a quick goodnight while keeping her distance. He sighed when she left the room thinking that what happened in Kashmir was still too traumatizing for her.

* * *

The next morning after just finishing breakfast the doctor walked over to their table.

"Good morning, everyone."

"Good morning, doctor."

"How are you feeling today, Mr. Bristow?"

"I feel really good. I can feel that I get better day by day, and I'm not so sore anymore."

"That's really good to hear. Your examinations certainly also show that you're healing very well."

"Since I'm doing so well, I was wondering when I could go home?"

Irina was a bit afraid of hearing the doctor's answer. She didn't know if the doctor would discharge Jack sooner than what was good for him just because he was doing well so soon.

The doctor smiled at Jack.

"I can understand you're anxious to get home, as you all must be. But I'd like to keep you here for a while longer. You still need to use the crutches for a while yet and you also need to be able to get up on your own. And I'd love it if you practically only use a cane when you leave here. Your wounds are healing nicely, but I also need for them to be a little more healed before I'm discharging you." Jack nodded and Irina felt relieved.

"Any idea how long I'll be here?"

"Hopefully less than a week. Around half a week I'd assume with the progress you've been making." Jack stared a little at the doctor.

"Half a week?" The doctor nodded at Jack. "You made it sound like I'd be here for weeks." The doctor let out a laugh.

"Sorry about that. But no, if you continue to recover as well as you've done so far, then I'm discharging you in a couple of days. Of course as we've talked about, you'll have to stay at a hospital for a little while when you get back. Just so they can monitor your recovery for a little while and so that you can walk around without the use of crutches." Jack smiled and so did the triplets.

"That's really great news, daddy." Maddie got on her knees on her chair and leaned in and gave Jack a kiss on the cheek. He smiled at her.

"I think so too." He looked around at Ethan and Caitie too, who smiled just as widely at him as Maddie did, but when he looked at Irina she only gave him a little smile. She nodded.

"Yes, Jack that's great news." His smile faded and he nodded.

He started to get worried that she was not looking forward to going home and get things back to normal. That being home, where they were more together than they'd been here for most of the time he'd been awake, would be too much intimacy too soon. To him it started to make sense with the way she'd been behaving. He shook the thought from his mind thinking he was probably imagining things. Going home would most likely be what she needed and what they needed. When she was home in her normal surroundings, she'd probably be more comfortable and open up. He didn't have time to think more about it as the doctor started talking again.

"Mr. Bristow, if you're not too busy I'd like to give you your examination now." Jack shook his head.

"No, we might as well get it out of the way now."

"Okay good. I'd also like to have you do some exercises and that might take a while. No more than an hour though. An hour and a half tops." Jack looked around at Irina and the triplets. Irina nodded.

"We can go for a walk around town in the mean time." She looked at the triplets. "Would you like to do that?" They all nodded.

"That way we can get a birthday present for uncle Kendall." Irina smiled at Ethan.

"I think he'd like that."

"We should probably still keep it a secret even though it's his birthday today." Irina nodded.

"Yeah, no point in spoiling the surprise."

"Do you think it'll be okay with Sydney and Nadia if we call him first?" The triplets looked between their parents and Jack and Irina smiled at them.

"Yes, I think they'll be just fine with that."

"Well, since we know what we'll be doing, we might as well get going."

"I'll just get some nurses to help me." The doctor left and Irina stood up. When she did so did the triplets. Irina looked at Jack.

"Where should we meet up with you when we get back?"

"What about here?" She nodded. "An hour and a half from now?"

He hoped she would agree to that. He didn't feel like being alone for too long, but he also didn't know if she'd stay out longer from the hospital now that she had the opportunity. He was relieved when she nodded.

"Sure."

"Okay. Have a good time."

"You too, daddy." He smiled at Ethan and each of the triplets gave him a kiss on the cheek. Jack noticed that Irina looked away when they did that.

"Bye, daddy."

"Bye, guys."

* * *

Jack's examination and exercises went well and after he sat by the table in the cafeteria reading a book while waiting for Irina and the triplets to return.

When they returned, they showed Jack what they had bought for Kendall, and they stayed at the table talking about their trip and Jack's examination until lunchtime.

After lunch the day went by as the previous one, and in the evening they went back to Jack's room to call Kendall.

"_Kendall."_

"Hi uncle Kendall. Happy birthday."

"_Hi kids."_ Kendall's happiness of hearing the triplets was evident in his voice. _"Thank you."_

"Hi Kendall. Happy birthday."

"Happy birthday."

"_Thank you. How are you all doing?"_

"We're doing fine, and daddy's doing better every day."

"_That's great to hear, and it's great for you, Jack."_

"Thanks Kendall."

"_Any idea when you can come home?"_

"The doctor told me today that I'll probably be discharged in a couple of days."

"_Jack, that's great news."_

"Yeah, it is. Though, I'll still have to spend some time in a hospital at home, as you know."

"_But still, it's better being in a hospital at home rather than being in a hospital in another country."_ Jack let out a small laugh.

"You've got a point."

"How will you be celebrating your birthday, uncle Kendall? Are you going to have a party?" Kendall laughed a little at Maddie's question.

"_Well, I won't be having a party at my place, because I'll be working until late in the afternoon. But Sydney offered to invite everyone for dinner at her place so we could celebrate, and I took her up on her offer. Will, Rachel, and T__.J. are also leaving tomorrow, so it's also going to be a goodbye party for them."_

"That's nice, uncle Kendall."

"We bought you a present today."

"_You guys didn't have to do that."_

"We wanted to."

"_Well, thank you. So? What did you get me?"_

"We're not telling you that."

"No, you have to wait until you open it when we get home." Kendall let out a laugh.

"_Okay then. I'll be looking forward to seeing what you got for me."_

They kept talking to Kendall for a while longer, and after hanging up they called Sydney and Nadia. When they were done with that, they went to bed and once again there was no difference between Jack and Irina.

* * *

At APO Kendall arrived for work at the same time as Dixon. An hour later Sydney, Nadia, Vaughn, Eric, Marshall, Carrie, Katya, and Rachel joined them. They all walked into the meeting room where Kendall and Dixon were sitting.

"Happy birthday, Kendall."

Sydney, Nadia, Carrie, and Rachel walked over to him and gave him each a hug. He smiled at them.

"Thank you." Katya looked at him.

"Well, it's easy to see that you're a year older." He rolled his eyes at her and she smirked at him. "Happy birthday."

"Thanks." Vaughn and Eric walked up to him and handed him a present.

"Here. We bought you a little something extra." Kendall looked at them a little puzzled but took the present.

"Why didn't you wait until tonight to give me this?" They smiled.

"We just thought that now would be better." He smiled back.

"Well, thank you."

"Open it." Kendall nodded and sat down while everyone else also took a seat around the table.

He opened the present, gaped a little when he saw what they'd gotten him, and then glared at Vaughn and Eric while he held up the book he'd been given.

"Sex for Dummies?" Sydney and Nadia gaped while everyone else laughed.

After a few seconds of laughing Vaughn and Eric finally got their laughter under control to answer him.

"Don't pay too much attention to the title. It's not like we think you're a dummy or anything like that." Eric nodded agreeing with Vaughn.

"No, not at all. We just thought that you could use a little help in the love department." Kendall still glared at them.

"And what makes you think I need any help in that department?"

"Oh come on. You haven't had a date since Irina's birthday."

"At least not that we know of."

"Right. So, we just figured you could use a little help."

"Well, I don't need any help, thank you very much. And for your information my date had no complaints at all." Both Vaughn and Eric leaned forward in their chairs.

"That sounds intriguing. Care to share?"

"Absolutely not. Now if you've had your fun, can we get back to work?"

"Sure."

"Thank you."

"Just one more thing." Kendall groaned.

"What?"

"Are you still seeing the woman you were on a date with on Irina's birthday? And if you are, is she coming tonight?" Kendall glared even more at Eric.

"I'm not going to answer your first question, because it's none of your business. And it's a no to your second question."

"Interesting. Now from the way you answered Eric's last question are we to assume that you're still seeing the woman?" Kendall glared at Vaughn.

"Like I said, it's none of your business. Now get back to work." Both Vaughn and Eric laughed.

"Fine, fine. We'll get back to work."

"Good." Kendall got up from his seat, took the book with him and left the meeting room leaving most of the others laughing.

* * *

Late in the afternoon Kendall showed up at Sydney and Vaughn's house for dinner. Sergei opened the door with all of the kids with the exception of Nicholas, David, and T.J.

"Hi Kendall. Happy birthday." Kendall received a hug from Sergei.

"Thanks."

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY, UNCLE KENDALL." Kendall laughed at all the kids simultaneously wishing him a happy birthday.

"Thank you guys." All the kids then hugged him all at the same time, and after he got individual hugs from everyone. Sergei looked at Kendall.

"Everyone is in the living room." Kendall nodded and followed him and all the kids in there.

Dinner went well and so did the rest of the evening. They talked and had fun and to Kendall's great surprise Katya didn't throw any remarks at him and hadn't thrown any remarks at him since the one she threw at him at the office.

Later in the evening Isabelle, Sarah, Nicholas, and T.J. had been put to bed, while the rest of the kids had fallen asleep as well with the exception of Robin and Stephen. The rest of the kids were lying down in another room while Stephen and Robin were watching TV in a different room.

The party was about to break up and Kendall went to the kitchen with some of the mugs. He found Katya drinking a glass of water. When he put the mugs down he looked at her.

"You've been really quiet tonight. Actually, you've been quiet all day since this morning at the office." She looked at him and spoke calmly.

"Haven't I a right to be?" He nodded.

"Yes of course. But usually you throw remarks at me, and you haven't done that since that one you threw at me this morning at the office. Is it part of my birthday present that you haven't thrown any remarks at me other than that one?" He had a grin on his face, but she remained neutral.

"No, not really."

"Then why haven't you thrown remarks at me?"

"I haven't felt like it." He looked at her concerned.

"Katya, are you alright?" She rolled her eyes annoyed by his question.

"Yes, I'm perfectly fine." He rolled his eyes frustrated by her answer.

"Well, excuse me for asking. It's unusual for you not to throw remarks at me, so I was just worried that there was something wrong with you." She gave him an angry look.

"There's no need for you to worry about me. I'm fine." She sighed. "I'm going to check to see if Sergei is ready to leave." She walked passed him.

"Thank you for my present." She stopped. He'd spoken calmly and she turned around. "I really like the shirt. I love the material and the color is great. And the book is by one of my favorite authors, so I know I'm going to love that. It's very considerate of you to give me such a present. Thank you." He smiled at her but she just shrugged.

"No, big deal. You needed a present, so I bought one." He was a little surprised by her reaction.

"But still you put a lot of thought into that present and I really appreciate that." She rolled her eyes and shook her head.

"Whatever." He gaped a little and she turned around. "I'm going to find Sergei now. Enjoy the rest of your birthday." With that she left the kitchen. Kendall shook his.

"Yeah, thanks."

"Thanks for what?" He turned and saw Sydney walking into the kitchen. He shook his head.

"Nothing, I was just talking to Katya."

"Did you fight?" He shook his head.

"No, we didn't, but I was being nice and she didn't really care about that."

"Well, at least she hasn't thrown any remarks at you all evening. That's always something." He smiled at her.

"Yeah that's always something." He walked over to her and hugged her. "Thank you for a very nice birthday."

"It was my pleasure." They smiled at each other.

"I should be getting home. It's getting late."

"Everyone else is out in the hall waiting to leave too." He nodded and together they went out into the hall.

Out in the hall Kendall once again thanked everyone for the presents he'd received and said goodbye to everyone, giving each of them a hug with the exception of Katya and Chase. Kendall knew that Chase had apologized and that, that no doubt would lead to a better relationship between her and Irina and between her and everyone else, but he still didn't think that she was on hugging terms with anyone, and he didn't feel comfortable giving her a hug yet.

Katya was already ready to leave and was standing by the door. Though they weren't on hugging terms either and never even shook hands, he thought it was best to leave her alone given her behavior in the kitchen. Instead he concentrated on the others and gave Rachel a hug, who was next in line.

"I hope you had a nice birthday."

"I certainly had. It's too bad you have to go back home, but I guess that was inevitable." She smiled at him.

"Yes, nothing we can do about that. Will has to get back to work. He's done all the research he can here for his next story, but he's needed back at the office. And since Jack, Irina, and the triplets are alright there's really nothing more for me to do here."

"You also have T.J.'s first birthday coming up, so I'm sure you want to be home to celebrate that and have your families there."

"Yeah, we'd like that, though we consider you all family too. But I think we'll be back again as soon as we can to visit Jack, Irina, and the triplets."

"They'll certainly like that. Take care and get home safely."

"We will. You take care too." They smiled at each other and Kendall moved on to say goodbye to Will. They hugged.

"Bye Will. It was good having you here."

"I'm glad I could be here. Thank you for the present for T.J."

"Don't mention it. Get back home safely."

"We'll make sure of it. Talk to you soon."

"Absolutely. Bye Will."

"Bye."

When Kendall had said his goodbyes, he went to the living room and picked up his present and went back out into the hall and left at the same time as everyone else.

* * *

An hour later in India Jack, Irina, and the triplets were sitting in the cafeteria having just finished lunch when the doctor walked over to their table.

"Hello everyone."

"Hello doctor."

"How are you feeling today, Mr. Bristow? Better than yesterday?" Jack nodded.

"Yes, I am."

"From what the nurses told me, you still need their help getting out of bed and to sit down."

"Yes, though I can definitely feel I get stronger and I think I should be able to get up on my own soon."

"That's good to hear and it's actually what I came to talk to you about. I thought that you could practice getting in and out of bed on your own, and sitting down in a chair on your own and getting up again." Jack was happy, but Irina got worried.

"I'd like to do that." Irina looked at the doctor.

"Are you sure that's such a good idea? He's only been out of bed for a little while, and I don't think he's ready to try getting in and out of bed on his own or sitting down in a chair and getting up again."

Jack was irritated by Irina's question and wanted to say something, but also didn't want to say anything in front of the triplets. He was also irritated that she was addressing the doctor and not him. The doctor smiled at her.

"Yes, I'm absolutely sure it's a good idea. It would be best if Mr. Bristow was able to get in and out of bed on his own as well as sitting down in a chair and getting up on his own before being discharged."

"He only got out of bed a few days ago. It's too soon for him to try to do this on his own."

"Mrs. Bristow, I assure you it's not. If it gets to be too much for Mr. Bristow, we'll stop. You can be sure that I won't make him overdue it, and Mr. Bristow will tell me if he needs to rest."

"Yes, I will." Irina looked at Jack and could hear that he was slightly agitated. Knowing she couldn't stop Jack, she reluctantly nodded.

"Okay."

"It might take a while depending on how much Mr. Bristow can handle. You're welcome to join us, if you'd like?"

She would always want to be by Jack's side no matter what, but Irina knew she wouldn't be able to stand to see Jack in pain, and she knew that he'd at least be in a little pain. She also knew that she wouldn't be able to just sit still somewhere around the hospital waiting for the exercises to be over with. She knew she'd be worrying sick about Jack no matter where she was, but she figured that getting out of the hospital for a while might help a little. She looked at the triplets.

"How about the four of us go out while daddy does his exercises?"

Jack was disappointed that she didn't want to stay with him, which only made him believe even more that she was still too traumatized about Kashmir.

The triplets looked at each other and then Caitie looked at Jack.

"Would that be alright with you, daddy?" Even though he would've liked them to stay, he wasn't going to force Irina to do so, if she didn't want to. Instead he gave Caitie a reassuring smile.

"Of course, sweetheart. There's nothing for you to do other than watch me do my exercises, and that might be a bit boring for you. Besides, I'm a big boy, so I'll be alright." He looked at Ethan and Maddie and gave them a reassuring smile too. Ethan looked at Irina.

"Sure mommy, we can go out."

"Well, since everyone is onboard with that, we might as well get going now." The triplets nodded and Maddie looked at Jack.

"Will you call us when you're done with your exercises, so that we can get back to you?" He smiled at her.

"Yes, sweetheart." The triplets smiled at him and got up from their seats when Irina got up from hers. She looked at him.

"Don't overdue it, Jack."

"I won't." She could hear that he was slightly agitated again, and nodded. "Have fun."

"We will."

The triplets each gave him a kiss before they and Irina left. Jack looked at the doctor.

"Let's get started on those exercises."

* * *

Jack's exercises had gone alright. He'd had trouble from time to time and had rested and was sure that he'd probably still need help getting up and down from sitting down and help in getting to bed for the remainder of the day. But overall he was making progress and both he and the doctor were happy about that.

He'd done exercises for two hours and had called Irina to let her and the triplets know he was done. She'd told him they were in the middle of getting an ice cream, and that they'd return, when they'd eaten it. He told her, he'd be waiting in the living area, and that's where they found him reading a book when they returned.

The triplets walked up to him and gave him each a kiss.

"Hi daddy. How did your exercises go?" He smiled at them.

"They went fine."

"Did you have any trouble?" He looked at Maddie and nodded.

"A little from time to time, but I'm making progress. I'll need help for the rest of the day still because my body needs to rest, but I'm making progress."

"That's great, daddy."

"Yeah, I think so too. How was your time out?"

"It was very nice."

"We went to the playground. It was fun." Jack laughed a little.

"Yeah, I can imagine. How was the ice cream?"

"Delicious. Ice cream is always delicious, daddy." He laughed more at that remark.

"Right. I guess I really didn't need to ask about that. So what do you want to do now?" He looked at Irina.

"Since you had trouble with your exercises it would be best if you rested in your bed for a while." Jack got agitated again, but took a deep breath to calm himself before answering Irina.

"No, I don't need to rest. I've rested plenty in between doing the exercises, so I don't need to rest now. And like I've just said, I'll also be getting help getting up and sitting down for the rest of the day as well as getting help in getting to bed."

"But Jack, you need to rest." She shook her head. "I'm getting a couple of nurses."

"I said no." His voice was now agitated and a little louder. He also gave her a look that made no room for arguments.

She looked at him and they just looked at each other for a few seconds without anyone saying anything.

The triplets looked at each other and then looked from one parent to another feeling a little nervous about the situation. Finally Ethan broke the silence.

"Can we watch a movie?" Jack gave Irina one last look indicating he meant business, and then turned to his son smiling at him.

"Of course, sweetheart." He then looked at Irina again and spoke calmer, but his facial expression remained the same a little. "Could you put one on?" She nodded after a few seconds.

"Of course."

They spent the rest of the day mainly watching TV, movies, and the triplets also colored without Jack and Irina saying much to each other. The triplets did most of the talking and talked eagerly about their day, and didn't pay more attention to what had happened between their parents when they'd gotten home from their time out.

When bedtime came around, the triplets said goodnight to Jack first while Irina got the waiting room ready. By the time she went to say goodnight to him he was already in bed, ready to sleep. They said a brief goodnight to each other, and when Irina left Jack sighed heavily letting go of his frustrations.

* * *

The following day went much the same as the previous day. Jack did the same exercises as the day before and Irina and the triplets went for a walk around town in the meantime. In the afternoon they came back and walked around the halls in the hospital and also used the time watching TV and playing board games and cards. After dinner they did the same and when Irina said goodnight to Jack as the last one, they once again only said a brief goodnight to each other. The only thing that was different from the previous day was that Jack and Irina hadn't argued.

* * *

The next day the doctor walked into Jack's room with two nurses. Jack had asked someone to get nurses to help him sit up and Maddie had gone to get them. Irina, Caitie, and Ethan were in his room too.

"Good morning, Mr. Bristow."

"Good morning, doctor. I'd like to get up now."

"So what's stopping you?" Jack looked at the doctor a little surprised. "You've done great the last two days and the nurses can't help you forever. I think it's time you try getting up on your own in the morning. Don't you?" Jack smiled and nodded.

"Yes, I think you're right."

Irina wanted to protest, but thought for the sake of the triplets that it was best not to argue with Jack. Instead she bit her bottom lip fearing that he would hurt his recovery in trying to get up on his own.

"Give it a try whenever you're ready. We'll be right here in case you need help." Jack nodded and Irina and the triplets took a few steps back, so that the doctor and nurses would have easy access to Jack in case he needed help.

Jack took a couple of deep breaths preparing and steadying himself. When he felt ready he took hold of the bed on both sides with his hands and slowly started to pull himself up. He winced a little, but not much.

Irina saw that he was in pain and wanted nothing more than to rush to his side and make him lie back down. But she remained in place and she was relieved when he finally sat up.

Jack looked around at everyone and smiled. The triplets started to clap.

"Good job, daddy." Jack let out a small laugh.

"Thanks."

"You've been able to sit up on your own, Mr. Bristow, and now you just have to get out of bed too." Jack nodded and took a couple of deep breaths before continuing.

He slowly moved his leg over the side of the bed. When he'd done that, he reached for the crutches that had been placed within his reach the night before. After getting them, he took another breath before trying to stand up.

Irina held her breath fearing that he might fall down, but she breathed a silent sigh of relief, when he got up without falling down.

Jack looked around and shrugged.

"Piece of cake." Everyone but Irina laughed.

"If you say so, Mr. Bristow. Now I'd like you to take a few steps, so I can see if you do that as well as getting out of bed." Jack nodded and walked towards the triplets as easily as he'd walked the last couple of days. "Very good, Mr. Bristow. You think you can manage to go to the bathroom on your own too?"

"I won't know unless I give it a try." The doctor moved out of the way and let Jack go to the bathroom.

Jack walked out a couple of minutes later.

"How did it go?"

"It went well."

"I doubt you're able to put on a pair of pants on your own just yet." Jack shook his head.

"No, I don't think so."

"Okay, we'll help you with that. What about putting on a robe? Try that."

Jack walked over to the door where his robe was hanging. Irina wanted to protest again, thinking that it wouldn't be good for him trying to do that on his own because it would mean that he would only be leaning on one crutch, while getting it and putting it on. But she was relieved when Jack was able to get it on without any help. Still she was afraid with everything that he'd done that he was draining himself of his strength. Strength she believed he needed to get better and not use up trying to get out of bed on his own.

The triplets, on the other hand, were excited about Jack's progress.

"Daddy, you're doing great." He smiled at them.

"Thank you." The doctor walked over to Jack.

"Let me just check your stitches to see how things look." After a quick examination the doctor smiled at Jack. "Everything looks great. Let's see how you do with sitting down." Jack walked over to one of the chairs. Again he took a breath before slowly sitting down. He managed that too and the doctor smiled. "Amazing progress, Mr. Bristow. Try to get up." Jack managed that too. "Well done. Let's put some pants on you while you're standing and then you and your family can be off to the cafeteria for breakfast."

One of the nurses grabbed Jack's sweatpants and helped him put them on. While the nurse did that, Irina looked away not wanting to see another woman helping her husband get dressed. When the nurse had put the pants on him, and put his slippers in front of him so that he could put them on, Jack looked at the doctor after putting on his slippers.

"Is there anything else I should do?" The doctor shook his head.

"No, not at the moment. We'll walk down with you to the cafeteria to make sure that you can sit down on your own there too. Later we'll do some more exercises, so that you can get even more used to getting by on your own." Jack nodded.

"Okay. Well, if there's nothing else then I think we should go to the cafeteria. I'm starving." The doctor laughed.

"Well, let's not stand in the way of your hunger. After you." Jack walked out first followed by everyone else.

* * *

Jack continued getting better at sitting down and getting up throughout the day. While he went through his exercises and a longer examination, Irina and the triplets went to town. When they got back the triplets told Jack about their day, and Jack told them that he'd shaved himself for the first time. Though she didn't led on Irina was happy to hear that none of the nurses had done it.

The rest of the afternoon went by as the previous day and later they all sat down to dinner in the cafeteria. When they were done eating the doctor walked up to them. Jack nodded.

"Evening, doctor."

"Good evening, everyone." The rest of them nodded at the doctor. "Mr. Bristow, given how well you've been doing all day, I've decided to discharge you the day after tomorrow." Both Jack and Irina gaped. Jack gaped because he was surprised whereas Irina gaped because she thought it was too soon for him to be discharged.

"Seriously?" The doctor nodded at Jack.

"Yes, I'm serious. As I told you a few days ago, I had thoughts about discharging you in a few days if you continued to do well, and you most certainly have."

"It's too soon." Everyone looked at Irina, and Jack could feel he started to get agitated again. "You also said the other day that you'd prefer if he walked out of here only using a cane, and he isn't. He's not even close to only using a cane."

"He might not be using a cane yet, Mrs. Bristow, but I assure you that your husband is well enough to be discharged. I wouldn't make this decision if I wasn't absolutely sure." Irina nodded slightly.

"I do realize that, but I still think it's too soon."

"Again I can only say that it's not too soon. As you know your husband will spend some time in a hospital at home before he's allowed to be completely discharged." Irina looked at Jack and she received an agitated look. She nodded and sighed.

"Fine."

"I'll need to talk to the doctor, who'll be in charge of you when you get home, so that I can pass on your chart. But since I assume that no one is up yet in the US, I can get the information tomorrow morning on when to make contact. You should also make arrangements for your trip home, so that I can pass on any instructions to the crew onboard in case you need help onboard." Jack nodded.

"I'll make sure you get it."

"Thank you. Well, I won't take up anymore of your time. I just came to pass on the happy news."

"Thank you." The doctor left and Jack looked at the triplets, who were smiling from ear to ear.

"We're finally going home."

"That's really great news, daddy."

"It'll be great seeing everyone again."

"Yeah, I think so too." He looked at Irina and she nodded.

"Yes, it'll be good to come home." He nodded back and was calmer than before.

* * *

When they called home in the evening everyone was thrilled to hear that Jack, Irina, and the triplets were coming home. After talking with the family at home, Jack got on the phone with Dixon and arranged for a plane to pick them up. The doctor had an hour earlier told them at what time they'd be leaving, so that they could make the exact plans for their departure.

After talking to Dixon, Jack got in touch with Dr. Peter Blake, who would be in charge of Jack during his stay in hospital. When that call ended, Ethan went to get a couple of nurses, who would make sure that Jack was alright getting in bed on his own. When Ethan left, so did Irina to make the waiting room ready for sleep.

Jack managed getting ready for bed on his own and only needed the nurses to help him take off his pants. When they'd done that, they left and the triplets said goodnight. As they walked out, Irina walked in. They looked at each other for a little while without saying anything.

"Well, I should let you get your rest."

"Alright."

"Goodnight, Jack."

"Goodnight." Jack sighed when she left, but was happy that they were all going home soon.

* * *

The next day Jack got out of bed on his own, though two nurses were present in his room. They helped him to get his pants on, but other than that he managed on his own.

When Jack had to do his exercises, Maddie suggested that the others stayed at the hospital and packed their things. Irina had agreed to that.

After Jack was done with his exercises they played board games and walked around until dinnertime. During dinner the triplets talked about being excited to go home and seeing everyone again, whom they'd missed a lot. Both Jack and Irina smiled at them, and Irina knew that even though she still thought Jack was being discharged too early, it would be best for the triplets to go home.

The spent the time until they called home playing board games. When it was their time to say goodnight to each other, Jack and Irina once again kept it brief.

* * *

The next morning Jack woke up feeling happy about finally going home. He hoped he wouldn't have to spend too much time in hospital at home, but at least he'd be home, so he could deal with the stay in hospital. He decided he'd had enough of lying in bed, so he got up before anyone came to his room.

Shortly after he'd gotten up the triplets walked in and were happy that he was already up. Caitie went and got a nurse, and before Irina entered the room Jack had already his pants on and ready to leave for the cafeteria. Irina was not happy that he'd gotten up without anyone in the room, but she kept quiet about it.

They only stayed at the hospital for a few hours before it was time to leave. Jack had one last examination and the doctor was very pleased with the results. When the car that would take them to the airport was packed, they said goodbye to the doctor and the staff.

"Don't get me wrong, Mr. Bristow, but even though you've been a great patient, I'm happy to see you leave." Jack laughed.

"I'm happy about leaving too."

"Take care and I wish you all the best." He looked at Irina and the triplets. "I wish all of you all the best." Irina nodded.

"Thank you."

They said one last goodbye to everyone before getting in the car and leaving.

When they got to the airport and the luggage had been brought onboard, they all took one last look around before boarding the plane. Jack then looked at them.

"Let's go home."

**TBC**


	33. Chapter 33

**SofiaBlackBristow:** Yeah, it's great that Jack's finally able to go home, but just because he, Irina, and the triplets are going home does not mean that things are back to normal for Jack and Irina. I'm glad you love it. Kiss and Merry Christmas to you too. Thank you for reading and commenting - it means so much. :-)

**Margaret-the 1st time:** I'm glad you like the double Ks, and you're welcome. There's some more double Ks for you in this chapter. I don't want to reveal things with what's going to happen in my stories, but things will eventually get back to normal between Jack and Irina - it's just going to take a long time. It's getting close to 11.00 a.m. here, so good morning to you. *lol* Thank you for reading and commenting - it means so much. :-)

**NOTE:** With this chapter it's as far as I am with the story, so there won't be an update for a long time. I'm going home to my parents today to spend Christmas, and while I'm at home I'll have no time to write, so I have no idea when I'll be able to update. I'm hoping that I'll be able to post the next chapter some time in January, but I'm pretty slow with the writing, and even though I know a lot of the things I want to include in the story, I'm still stuck at times. I'll do my best to write and update, but I'm not making any promises for when the next chapter will be posted.

Thank you so much for reading and commenting. :-) It really does mean so much to me. *hugs* Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all. :-)

* * *

**Chapter 33**

Jack, Irina, and the triplets arrived home in the afternoon. Sydney, Nadia, Peter and two agents were waiting for them at the airstrip. The triplets ran out of the plane first, and right over to Sydney and Nadia, who were waiting for them with open arms. After hugs and kisses had been passed around they looked at each other.

"It's so great to see you again, and it's great to have you home."

"Yeah, and we've missed you."

"We've missed you too."

"Yes, very much, and it's really great to be home." Sydney and Nadia smiled at their siblings and pulled them all in for another hug.

"We love you."

"We love you too." Nadia looked up and saw Irina walking towards them.

"Hi mom." Irina first hugged and kissed Nadia and then Sydney.

"Hi sweethearts."

"Where's dad?"

"Right here."

They all looked towards the plane, and saw Jack walking off the plane with a pair of crutches to help him. Two medics had been onboard the plane when it went to India to pick up Jack, Irina, and the triplets. One had walked out of the plane before Jack to help from the front in case something happened, and the other waited behind Jack to help from behind in case something went wrong.

Jack had no trouble getting off the plane and he walked closer to everyone without any trouble either. Sydney and Nadia gaped at seeing their father up and walking again and of how well he was doing. He chuckled when he saw their reaction.

"Wow."

"You ain't seen nothing yet." He took the crutch he was holding in his right hand over in his left hand. While leaning on both crutches with his left arm, he held out his right arm. "Tadaa." He chuckled again as they hadn't changed their facial expressions. "Well? Are you going to give me a hug or not?"

Irina was worried about Jack's health. Firstly, because he had one arm free and secondly, because he wanted Sydney and Nadia to hug him. She was worried that he'd be subjected to too much pressure to his wounds that still needed to heal a good amount.

Nadia stopped gaping and instead smiled and walked up to her father giving him a hug that put no pressure to his wounds. Irina breathed out a silent sigh of relief.

"Hi dad. It's so great to have you home." She gave him a kiss on the cheek, and he gave her one in return.

"Hi sweetheart. It's great to be home." Sydney then walked up to him and gave him the same kind of hug too.

"Hi dad. We've missed you." She gave him a kiss on the cheek too and he did the same to her.

"Hi sweetheart. I've missed you too."

While Sydney greeted Jack, Peter greeted Irina and the triplets before walking over to Jack. He reached out his hand and Jack shook it.

"Good to have you back, Jack."

"Thanks."

"Now, get back to using both crutches. Doctor's orders." Jack rolled his eyes but did as he was told, and Irina was happy about that. Jack took a look around, and then looked at Sydney and Nadia.

"Where is everybody?"

"Peter thought it'd be best to get you settled into the hospital first." Jack rolled his eyes at Peter. Peter shook his head amused.

"Roll your eyes all you want, Jack, but it's been a long flight, and I wasn't sure if you'd be up for seeing so many at once."

"I feel fine enough."

"That may very well be, but you're my patient now. I know you've done amazingly so far with your recovery, but I also want you to rest a bit before seeing so many people at a time." Jack sighed. "Don't worry, Jack. We'll get you settled into a bed and then you'll rest for about half an hour before we're bringing the rest of your family and friends to the hospital. Everyone here is more than welcome to stay with you during that time." Jack sighed while Irina was glad that Peter had told Jack to rest in bed.

"Dad, everyone is looking forward to seeing all of you too, and just like you, they can't wait either. But they know you have to follow the doctor's orders."

"And it'll only be for half an hour. That time will pass in no time." Jack smiled at Sydney and Nadia.

"I guess I can manage that."

"Yes, and the sooner we get you to the hospital, the sooner you can see them. Agent Thomson and agent Philips will bring your luggage to the cars."

The two agents, who'd been driving the two vans that would be driving everyone to the hospital, stepped forward. They nodded and smiled at Jack and Irina.

"Sir, ma'am, it's good to have you home again." Agent Thomson looked at the triplets too. "It's good to have all of you home again."

"Thank you. It's good to be home."

"Thank you."

"Well, let's get the luggage, so we can get you to the hospital." The agents walked towards the plane and Peter looked at the two medics.

"Why don't you give them a hand? That way we can get out of here faster." They nodded.

"Certainly." Peter looked at Jack.

"Do you need to sit down?" Jack shook his head.

"No, after sitting down for so many hours without being able to walk around much, I need to stretch my body."

"Okay that's fine." Jack smirked at Peter.

"So, am I allowed to walk around or will that go against doctor's orders?" Peter chuckled at Jack's question and so did everyone else, with the exception of Irina, who merely smiled a little.

"No, you can walk as much as you feel you can handle."

"Thank you." Jack looked around at everyone. "Anyone care to join me for a little walk?"

"Absolutely dad."

"There's nothing we'd rather do."

They walked around talking. They mostly talked about how all the kids were excited about Jack, Irina, and the triplets being home, and ten minutes later the cars were packed and they walked back to them.

Sydney looked between her parents.

"So who goes with whom?" Irina looked at her.

"You and Nadia can go with your father, Peter, and the two medics. The triplets and I can go in the other car." Sydney and Nadia nodded and Sydney looked at the triplets.

"Would that be alright with you?" The triplets smiled and nodded.

"Yes absolutely." She looked at Jack.

"Dad?" He smiled and nodded at her.

"Of course, sweetheart."

"Then we should get to the hospital so you can get settled into your bed. The sooner you do that, the sooner you get to see everyone else." Jack smiled and nodded before they all got into the cars and went to the hospital.

* * *

When they arrived at the hospital and everyone had gotten out agent Thomson looked at Irina.

"We're going to drop off your luggage at your house. Your sister and cousin said it would be alright, and they're at the house at the moment." Irina nodded and smiled.

"Thank you."

"Do you need any of the luggage?"

"I packed a bag with some of Jack things, he might need. I'll just get it." She got the bag and looked at the agents. "You can just leave everything in the hall, and tell my sister and cousin that I'll put everything away myself."

"Yes, ma'am."

"Thank you."

The agents left and everyone else went inside to get Jack settled into his bed.

After getting Jack settled in, Peter left the room while everyone else stayed and talked. Thirty minutes later Peter returned. Jack gave him an un-amused glare.

"I've been in my bed now for thirty minutes, and the rest of my family and friends aren't here yet. You said I would only have to rest for thirty minutes and then I could see them. If they'd been contacted fifteen minutes ago they could've been here by now, and I would still have rested for thirty minutes by the time they got here." Peter looked at him amused.

"Well hello to you too, Jack." Jack rolled his eyes.

"You left here thirty minutes ago, so I hardly think we need to say hello to each other again."

"Someone's a little grumpy."

"Only because you promised that I'd only have to stay in bed for thirty minutes before I could see the rest of my family and friends."

Sydney, Nadia, and the triplets tried to hide the grins on their faces from seeing how their father was reacting. When Sydney had her grin somewhat under control, she gave Jack's arm a gentle squeeze and smirked at him.

"Dad, remember what you promised Nadia and me before we left India?"

He gave her an un-amused glare when he saw the look on her face. When he saw the look on Nadia and the triplets' faces, he gave them an un-amused glare too. Nadia looked at Sydney.

"From the look on his face, I'd say he does, Syd." Nadia looked at her father. "Dad, the same thing applies here. You do as you're told by the doctors and nurses, no matter how many times they tell you. Promise us you'll do that."

"I made that promise to you in India."

"Yes, but that was then and this is now. With the way you're acting, I think it's best if you make us that promise again." Jack rolled his eyes.

"You're treating me like a child."

"That's only because you're acting a bit like a child at the moment." He rolled his eyes again.

"But also because we only want what's best for you." He looked at Sydney and Nadia again, and smiled lovingly at them when he saw that they smiled lovingly at him.

"Okay, okay. I promise I'll do everything I'm told by the doctors and nurses." He looked at the triplets and smiled lovingly back at them too before looking at Peter. "Can the rest of my family and friends be contacted now? I think we've all waited long enough." Peter nodded.

"Sure go ahead." Jack looked between Sydney and Nadia.

"You heard the man. Start calling everyone." Everyone laughed at that with the exception of Irina, who merely smiled a little.

Sydney and Nadia started calling everyone, and Peter left. When all the phone calls had been made, everyone started talking again.

Twenty minutes later there was a knock on the door.

"Come in."

Vaughn stuck his head in and smiled.

"Can we come in?" Everyone in the room smiled broadly.

"Yes, absolutely."

Vaughn walked in carrying Nicholas. Eric walked in after him carrying David. He was followed by Isabelle, Sarah, Becky, Katya, and Sergei.

"Grandma!"

"Uncle Sergei!"

"Aunt Katya!"

Isabelle, Sarah, and Becky went straight to Irina, who was waiting for them with open arms. Ethan, Caitie, and Maddie went straight to Katya and Sergei, who were waiting for them with open arms, and Vaughn and Eric walked up to Jack's bed so that he could say hello to his grandsons. Jack smiled.

"Hi boys. I've missed you." Eric smiled.

"We've missed you too, Jack." Jack gave him an un-amused glare.

"I was talking to my grandsons."

Vaughn chuckled and then looked at Eric smiling at him.

"It seems like he's his old self again." Eric smiled nodded and both he and Vaughn chuckled when Jack smirked at them.

When Jack was saying hello to his grandsons, Irina was hugging her granddaughters, and Katya and Sergei took turns hugging the triplets. Katya and Sergei hugged the triplets tighter than usual, but Irina noticed that Katya hugged them even tighter than Sergei did.

Katya gave the triplets an extra kiss and hug, and that didn't go by unnoticed by Irina either. Katya looked at the triplets and smiled at them.

"It's so great to finally have you home again. We've missed you terribly."

"We've missed you too, aunt Katya."

"We've missed you too, uncle Sergei." Sergei smiled at them.

"I've missed you too. So much." He gave them another hug and kiss too.

"We've missed you, grandma. We were afraid we'd never see you again." Irina kissed Isabelle's cheek.

"We've missed you too. And you don't need to be afraid anymore. We're all safe now."

"We're really happy about that." Irina gave Becky a kiss on the cheek too.

"So are all of us." She gave Sarah a kiss on the cheek too, and then engulfed them all in a tight hug.

"Hey, can I get a hug too?"

Irina, Isabelle, Sarah, and Becky looked at Jack, and while Isabelle, Sarah, and Becky were happy about hugging Jack again, Irina was worried that it would be too much for him. But she also didn't think it was good for anyone if she objected.

"Of course, grandpa."

Irina let go of her granddaughters and they walked over to Jack. Sydney and Nadia walked closer up to Jack's bed. Nadia looked at her daughter and nieces.

"You have to be careful when you hug grandpa. He still needs to recover a great deal, so you can't hug him too tightly."

Isabelle, Sarah, and Becky all looked a little afraid to hug Jack out of fear that they would hurt him. Jack saw this and leaned a little forward in his bed smiling at them.

"You don't have to be afraid of hurting me, because you won't." He could tell that they weren't completely convinced. "Tell you what, if you all take your turn sitting on the bed right next to me, I'll lean forward even more so that you can put your arms around my neck. I'll then put my arms around you and control the pressure of the hug. How does that sound?"

The girls weren't quite convinced yet.

"Are you sure we won't hurt you, grandpa?"

"Yes Sarah, I'm absolutely sure you won't hurt me. Getting a hug and a kiss from you three will help me feel better and help me heal faster." That made them smile and nod.

"Okay."

Irina watched as Isabelle was the first to put her arms around Jack. She held her breath afraid that it might hurt him, but her thoughts were soon interrupted as she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned around and found Katya smiling at her.

"It's good to have you home again." Irina returned the smile.

"It's good to be home again." They hugged and exchanged kisses on the cheeks.

"You have been missed." Katya took Irina's face in her hands and spoke quietly. "How are you?" Irina nodded, smiled a little and spoke quietly too.

"It's over, so we're fine. And we're home now, so that helps." Katya eyed her for a moment but then nodded once.

"Okay." They hugged again until Sergei interrupted them.

"Can I get a hug now?" They released each other and Irina smiled at Sergei.

"Absolutely." They hugged and kissed each other on the cheeks like Irina and Katya had done.

"It's so good to have you all home again. You've all been missed greatly." They looked at each other.

"We've missed all of you too."

"I love you."

"I love you too, Sergei."

While Irina was hugging Katya and Sergei, the triplets walked over to Vaughn and Eric to get hugs from them, and to see their nephews again, and when Isabelle, Sarah, and Becky were done hugging Jack, the triplets hugged their nieces, while Irina held her grandsons.

Katya walked up to Jack's bed. She smiled at him.

"Good to have you back, Jack. Though, I never for a minute thought that you wouldn't come home." He smiled back at her.

"Thanks, Katya. I trust things have gone well at APO now that you've been around longer." She smirked.

"Of course. I've been the perfect angel." Jack laughed at that.

"Somehow, I doubt it." She shrugged while still smiling.

"Maybe not an angel, but still my charming self." He smirked at her now.

"Now that I can believe." Sergei joined Katya.

"It's great to have you all home, Jack." He gave Jack's shoulder a squeeze and then leaned in and gave him a quick hug.

"Thanks. It's good to see you all again."

After a few minutes of more hugging, kissing, and talking Caitie looked at Vaughn and Eric.

"Where's everyone else?"

"They'll be here a little later. They all thought we should be the first ones to welcome you home, and some of them had work, to finish." She nodded.

"Okay."

After another few minutes passed Vaughn, Sergei, and Eric went out to get chairs for everyone, and when they got back they all talked about what had been going on with the people at home, about the triplets' and Irina's experiences in India while Jack recovered, and about Jack's recovery.

An hour later there was another knock on the door.

"Come in."

Dixon popped his head in and smiled when he saw everyone, and when he saw Jack awake.

"Is this a good time for a visit?" Jack smiled back.

"It's a perfect time for a visit."

Dixon walked in followed by Chase, Stephen, Robin, Marshall, Carrie, Mitchell, Matthew, Chloe, and Gracie.

The triplets went to hug all the kids, while Carrie met Irina halfway and they hugged. Dixon walked up to Jack's bed and shook his hand.

"Good to have you back home, Jack. And it's great that you're doing so well." Jack returned the smile.

"Thanks, Marcus. It's great to finally be home."

"Hopefully you'll be able to get out of this hospital and completely home soon." Jack nodded.

"Yeah, I'm counting on that."

When Carrie had hugged Irina, Marshall didn't hesitate to hug her, and the huge smile on his face couldn't be denied.

"It's really great to have you back. We've missed you." Irina smiled broadly at him.

"We've missed all of you too."

Marshall looked passed Irina's shoulder over to Jack and watched Carrie greeting him. Jack caught Marshall looking at him and when he did, Marshall immediately started waving his hand at him.

"Hi Jack." Everyone couldn't help but laugh at Marshall overexcited outburst. Even Irina laughed a little. Jack smiled back at him.

"Hi Marshall." Marshall walked over to Jack's bed and looked at him a little nervously.

"Would it be alright to give you a hug? I mean, I don't want to hurt you or anything." Jack let out a little laugh.

"That would be alright. Just as long as you don't hug too tightly."

"I won't."

Irina couldn't stand to see Marshall hug Jack so she turned away from him and instead greeted Chase. Chase reached her hand out to her and smiled at her.

"It's good to have you home again, Irina." Irina smiled back.

"Thank you. It's good to be back."

While Jack hugged Marshall he noticed Irina shaking hands with Chase and how they were smiling at each other. It surprised him since he thought that nothing had changed between them nor did he know that Chase had been in India. It further surprised him seeing Chase smile when Dixon walked over to Irina and hugged her. However, he didn't have time to think about it any further as Robin, Stephen, Mitchell, Matthew, Chloe, and Gracie walked up to him to say hi.

"It's great to have you home again, Irina." Irina returned Dixon's smile.

"Thank you, Marcus. It's great to finally be home."

"The way Jack's looking it seems it won't be long until he's completely home." Irina gave a small smile to keep up appearances.

"We'll see. It all depends on what Peter says."

"Well from the looks of it I think he'll let Jack go home soon." Irina just kept on giving Dixon a small smile and was soon interrupted by Robin, Stephen, Mitchell, Matthew, Chloe, and Gracie, who all came to greet her.

Dixon went to join Carrie and Marshall in welcoming the triplets home, and Chase walked up to greet Jack. She smiled sincerely at him.

"Hello Jack." Jack nodded and smiled a little.

"Hello."

"You almost look like you're ready to return to work. You've certainly made a remarkable recovery." He looked at her a little oddly, but then nodded.

"I do feel better every day, so hopefully it won't be long before I'm back at work. Though I'm sure my doctor will have something to say about that." Chase let out a small laugh which surprised Jack, though he didn't let it show enough for Chase to notice.

"There's no need to rush your recovery. Take all the time you need." She shook her head in amazement. "It really is remarkable how fast you've recovered considering the state I saw you in last." Jack gave her a confused look.

"What do you mean? The last time you saw me was here in L.A." Chase looked at Jack a little surprised.

"Didn't anyone tell you I was in India?" Jack shook his head.

"No." She spoke quietly so that the kids wouldn't hear.

"I went on the mission to oversee things in India, and I stayed for a few days after you were brought to the hospital."

"I didn't know that." She shrugged and smiled.

"My part in the mission wasn't as important as everyone else's, and you've all had more important things to think about. I'm sure that Irina and your children also had better things to talk about after you woke up than me being in India." Jack nodded and smiled a little.

"Yeah, I guess that must be why they didn't mention anything."

Jack was still curious as to why Irina hadn't mentioned anything and especially since she and Chase seemed to get along better than they'd ever done. But he wasn't going to ask Chase about her relationship with Irina now, nor was he going to ask Irina or anyone else about it right now. His thoughts were broken by Maddie's question to Dixon.

"Where's uncle Kendall?"

"He still had some work to do, but he promised he'd be here as soon as he could."

"Okay."

Everyone continued talking and forty minutes later there was another knock on the door.

"Come in."

Kendall popped his head in and smiled.

"I gather by the large crowd here that I don't have to ask if this is a good time to visit." Jack smiled back at Kendall.

"No, you don't need to ask about that." Kendall nodded and walked in. Within a second the triplets ran over to him all speaking simultaneously.

"Uncle Kendall!" He engulfed all three of them in a big tight hug.

"It's so great to see you again. I've missed you."

Katya watched as Kendall and the triplets hugged each other. A small smile spread across her lips which didn't go by unnoticed by Irina.

"We've missed you too, uncle Kendall." He smiled at them and gave them another hug.

"It's great to have you home." He let go of them and looked up at Irina and smiled. "It's great to have all of you home." He looked at Jack again and smiled at him too. They both returned the smile.

"It's great to see you too, Kendall." He let go of the triplets and walked over to Irina and gave her a hug.

"Welcome home."

"Thank you."

"You've all been missed."

"We've missed all of you too." They looked at each other smiling one more time before Kendall walked over to Jack.

"Well, well look at you. You look great, Jack."

"Thank you. I feel great too. Or at least I feel better with each passing day."

"Do you feel good enough to get a hug?" Jack chuckled a little.

"Yes, I do." Kendall chuckled too and gave Jack a small hug.

"Welcome home."

"Thank you." He motioned for Dixon to join them, and when he did Jack spoke to both of them quietly. "I trust everything at APO has been running smoothly as always. But is there anything I need to know about? What's been going on?"

"No, everything is just fine."

"You just concentrate on getting better." Jack gave them both an un-amused glare.

"I'm not that bad off that I can't be told what's going on at APO. I'm still the Director." Kendall and Dixon looked at each other and smirked.

"I don't know about you, Marcus, but his Bristow-boss-attitude seems to be perfectly fine as always." Dixon nodded.

"Yeah, I agree with you." Jack rolled his eyes at them.

"And your lack of humor seems to be missing as always." Both Kendall and Dixon laughed at that.

"Jack, we know you don't like being sick, but it's rea.."

"I'm _not_ sick." Kendall and Dixon laughed again at Jack's attitude. Dixon looked at Jack again and nodded.

"Okay, so you're not sick. But you're not exactly in top shape either." Dixon ignored the slight glare Jack was giving him. "We just want you to take it easy, so that you can recover completely."

"I can still do that perfectly well while still knowing what's going on at APO." Kendall thought he'd give it a try and nodded at Jack.

"Yes, we know that. You're quite good at multitasking." Kendall grinned, but his joke only earned him a slight glare from Jack. "I see my humor hasn't improved on you in the last few seconds." Jack smirked and all three laughed. "How about you just rest for the day and enjoy everyone's company, and then tomorrow Marcus and I will tell you about APO when the three of us are alone?" Jack looked between the two of them and nodded.

"I think I can agree to that." They all laughed a little more.

"We're glad you agree."

Everyone continued talking and thirty minutes later Peter walked into Jack's room.

"How's the patient?" Jack rolled his eyes at Peter. Vaughn looked at Peter and smirked.

"Does that answer your question?" Peter laughed and nodded before walking up to Jack's bed. Jack gave him a slight glare.

"Don't even think about asking me how I'm doing." Peter laughed and shook his head.

"I wouldn't dream of it. I actually just came to ask about dinner." He looked around at everyone else. "Are you all planning on staying to have dinner with Jack?" Everyone looked around at each other. Sydney looked at Peter.

"I know that we'd like to stay." Nadia nodded.

"So would we." Peter nodded and then looked around at the rest of them.

"What about the rest of you."

Dixon looked at his children, who smiled at him indicating that they'd like to stay. He didn't bother to look at Chase before answering. Irina noticed him doing that, and noticed that Chase didn't object to not being asked or even being given the time of day.

"If it's no trouble, we'd like to stay." Peter shook his head.

"It's no trouble at all. I just wanted to know, so that I could tell the kitchen staff how many to make dinner for." Kendall smiled at Peter.

"That's very kind of you. Thank you." Everyone else nodded agreeing with Kendall.

"You're very welcome. So how many of the rest of you are staying?"

The rest of them each said they'd be staying and Peter nodded. Before leaving he told them that he'd be back when dinner was ready.

Forty-five minutes later Peter came back. He was about to speak but Jack cut him off before he even had a chance to say anything.

"Do _not_ ask me how I'm doing." Everyone laughed at that except for Irina.

Peter crossed his arm across his chest and arched an eyebrow at Jack while smirking.

"I just came to tell you that dinner is ready." Jack smirked back shrugging.

"Well, you never know." Everyone laughed again, but still Irina didn't.

"Fair enough, Jack. Now get out of bed if you want to eat."

Irina wanted to protest. She didn't want Jack to get out of bed on his own after the long flight. But she figured it wasn't a good thing to argue with him, and especially not in front of everyone. Instead she focused on Nicholas, whom she was holding.

Jack got out of the bed easily, and got ready to head down to dinner. When he was done he looked at Peter and smirked.

"Now will you stop asking me how I'm doing?" Peter smirked back and then shook his head.

"No." Jack sighed, and Peter let out a laugh. "It's for your own good, Jack. I'm your doctor and it's my job to get you well enough, so that you can go home." Jack was about to open his mouth to tell Peter he was fine, but Peter stopped him knowing of Jack's intention. "And that will only happen if you're completely honest with me, and if you quit the attitude." Jack pouted slightly and Eric laughed out loud at that.

"Poor Jack being told off by the big, mean doctor." Jack glared at Eric, which he didn't notice, because he was laughing too hard.

Ethan walked over to Eric and lightly tucked on Eric's sleeve. When he had Eric's attention, he smirked at him.

"I'd be careful if I was you. You need to keep in mind that you're still married to his daughter and that he's your boss. He can make your life miserable."

Eric stopped laughing but everyone else laughed even more than they'd done at Eric's comment. Even Irina smiled. He swallowed hard and then looked from Ethan to Jack and saw that father and son had matching smirks plastered on their faces. He pointed his finger from one to the other but then shook his head and then pointed the finger at Ethan again.

"You're beginning to be more and more like your father every day." Ethan crossed his arms across his chest and kept smirking.

"You're making it sound like that's a bad thing. Do you think it's a bad thing that I'm like my father?" Eric's jaw dropped while everyone laughed harder at that.

Nadia walked up to her husband and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Honey, I'd think long and hard before you give my brother an answer." Eric turned his head to look at his wife.

"Don't take your brother's side in this. You're supposed to be on my side." Now Nadia crossed her arms across her chest and smirked at Eric.

"You know perfectly well what you got yourself into when we got married." He gaped at her while everyone laughed even more.

Vaughn walked up to Eric laughing and padded him on the back.

"Seems like you got yourself into a lot of trouble." He kept laughing and then looked at Ethan. "I for one think it's wonderful that you're just like your dad." He smiled at Ethan and then looked at Jack smiling at him too.

Without looking at each other, Jack and Ethan answered Vaughn simultaneously.

"Smartass." Now it was Vaughn's turn to gape while Eric laughed along with everyone else.

"Hey, I was being honest." Sydney walked up to Vaughn and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"You have to admit that you had it coming." He was about to protest but then nodded.

"Yeah, I guess you're right." He looked between Jack and Ethan. "But I still meant it." They both smirked at him and then Jack turned his attention to Eric.

"I believe you still owe my son an answer." Eric rolled his eyes.

"Oh come on." He looked around at everyone, but seeing as he couldn't get out of it he looked at Ethan again. "No, I don't think it's a bad thing." He smirked back at Ethan. "Though, you could lighten up on some of your similarities." Ethan shrugged and everyone laughed. Eric then smiled sincerely. "But you're a perfect combination of both your mom and your dad." Ethan smiled at that. Vaughn nodded and looked at Sydney, Nadia, Maddie, and Caitie.

"And so are your sisters." Everyone else smiled and Ethan looked at Jack.

"Can you accept that answer, daddy." Jack smiled at his son, and then smirked.

"I can for now." Ethan smirked back.

"My thoughts exactly." They both smirked looking at Vaughn and Eric, and while they groaned everyone laughed, though Irina smiled slightly like she'd done the entire time.

After Peter finished laughing he looked around at everyone.

"How about you all go down to dinner now?"

* * *

Peter took them to a conference room where dinner had been set up, so that they could have some privacy. Everyone took a seat around the table and Katya and Kendall ended up sitting next to each other but didn't object. It wasn't until Kendall poured Katya some water in her water glass while she got some food that she objected. She gave him an annoyed look with her tone matching her facial expression.

"Did I ask you to give me some water?" He rolled his eyes while putting the water bottle down after pouring himself some water.

He looked at her and gave her an annoyed look matching her own.

"No, you didn't ask me to do that. But since you always have water with your meals, I just assumed that you wanted some now, too."

"Don't assume anything." He rolled his eyes at her again. "What am I supposed to do now? We can't trade glasses since you also have water in yours." He shook his head.

"Oh for crying out loud." He took her glass and drank all the water. When he was done he put it back down. "There. Water's all gone. Happy now?"

She gaped at him and then gave him an even more annoyed look.

"You drank my water."

"You said you didn't want it."

"I never said that." He rolled his eyes again.

"Well, you said we couldn't trade glasses because I had water in my glass, too. How am I supposed to know that it meant you still wanted the water? Everyone else here would think that it meant you didn't want the water."

"You drank from my glass."

"Oh grow up. I'm not sick, so it's not like you're going to catch anything."

She kept giving him an annoyed look, but he went back to getting himself some food. She gave up looking at him and then poured herself some water. When Kendall noticed that, he rolled his eyes at her and shook his head. Everyone else, who had tried their best not to laugh during Katya and Kendall's argument, rolled their eyes too.

When Katya was done she picked up her glass to take a sip from her water, and at the same time Kendall did the same with his glass. Katya didn't notice that she put her lips on the exact same spot where Kendall's lips had been. But Caitie noticed and started to grin.

"Aunt Katya, your lips are on the same spot where uncle Kendall's lips were. That's almost like you're kissing."

That comment made both Katya and Kendall spit out their water while everyone laughed. Katya shook her head while wiping her mouth and then looked at Caitie.

"It most certainly is _not_ like we're kissing. That's a ridiculous thing to say."

"Come on, aunt Katya. Even you have to admit that it's funny." Katya shook her head at Maddie.

"I don't see that there's anything remotely funny about it. Now can we eat and not speak of this again?" Everyone shrugged and resumed eating while Katya turned her glass around, so that the same thing wouldn't happen again.

From the corner of his eye Kendall watched what she did with her glass but didn't comment on it. He kept looking at her from the corner of his eye for a few seconds while eating, but when there was no further reaction from her, he turned his attention completely back on his food, and joined the conversation that Marshall started.

During dinner everyone talked, but it was mostly the children, who controlled the conversation. After dinner they all moved into another room with armchairs and couches, so that they could sit more comfortably.

* * *

Hours after dinner, Sydney looked around at her children. Nicholas was asleep, Sarah was just about to sleep, and Isabelle also had to fight to keep her eyes open.

"Okay, I think it's time we got you home. It's way passed your bedtime anyway." Carrie looked around at her own children.

"Yeah, Marshall, I think we should get the kids home, too." He nodded and Nadia looked at Eric after looking at their children.

"I think we should do the same."

Isabelle gave her mom a puppy dog look.

"Can't we stay for a little while longer with grandpa and grandma?" Sydney smiled at her.

"You can barely keep your eyes open. If we stayed you'd only be falling asleep within the next few minutes. But we'll be back tomorrow to visit grandpa, and I know that grandma will be here too."

Jack kept up appearances on the outside, but on the inside he wasn't so sure if Irina wanted to come back the next day. He knew she would, but he thought that spending too much alone time with him, even with the triplets there, would prove to be too much intimacy too soon. He looked at Irina to see if he could see any indication that she'd be uncomfortable, but when he saw none he turned his attention to Isabelle.

"You should listen to your mother, sweetheart. You can come and visit me tomorrow for as long as you want." Isabelle smiled at that.

"Okay grandpa."

Dixon looked at his children.

"We should leave too. I need to be at the office early to make a phone call to London." They nodded and went to say goodbye to Jack.

Vaughn looked at Katya, Sergei, and Kendall.

"Are you leaving too?"

"No, Katya and I are staying for a while yet." Kendall nodded.

"So am I." Katya looked at Kendall.

"You're staying?" He looked at Katya.

"Yes. Why, is that a problem?"

"I just thought you also had work to do tomorrow."

"I do, but not as early as Marcus, so I'm allowed to stay out longer." She gave him an annoyed glance that made him roll his eyes. "I'm not staying for several hours, if that's what you're worried about. I'm sure I'll be leaving before you do."

"I have better things to do with my time than worry about how long you're staying here." They kept glaring a bit at each other and Vaughn shook his head.

"I'm sorry I ever asked if you were staying. If you'll excuse me, I think I'll just say goodnight to Jack, Irina, and the triplets." Sergei shook his head at Katya and Kendall and wished he was Vaughn at that moment.

Sydney had just said goodbye to her father and was about to say goodbye to her mother as well.

"Bye mom."

"I'm coming with you down to the cars to say goodbye. I could use the fresh air." She looked at the triplets. "What do you three say to going with me to get a mouthful of fresh air?" They nodded and she smiled at them. "Good." Sydney nodded.

"Okay. I'll just get Nicholas, and by the looks of things everyone else is ready to leave too." Irina nodded and then looked around at Jack, Katya, Sergei, and Kendall.

"See you in a little while." They all nodded and after a few more goodbyes the four of them were the only ones left in the room.

* * *

After having said goodbye to everyone, Irina and the triplets stayed outside for a few more minutes but then headed back inside. On the elevator ride up to their father, aunt, and uncles Maddie looked at her mother.

"Are we sleeping here tonight, mommy?" Irina shook her head and then looked around at the triplets.

"No, we're going home. All our stuff is there, and our things, we had in India, are now also at home. Besides, it'll do us all good to sleep in our own beds and start getting back to normal."

"But what about daddy? Won't he be lonely?" Irina smiled at Caitie.

"He's a big boy, so he'll be just fine. Sleeping at home won't be any different from our sleeping arrangement in India after daddy woke up. It'll just take us a little longer to get to his room when we're sleeping at home."

Irina knew that by sleeping at home, she wouldn't have to see Jack getting out of bed in the morning, and she wouldn't do anything that might cause his recovery to go the wrong way. She knew that the triplets would want to be near Jack, but she didn't want to leave any room for discussion. And she knew she wasn't lying to the triplets when she said that the sleeping arrangements now wouldn't be different from the ones in India. She was glad to see that they all nodded and that they didn't seem to be too sad about it.

"But we're coming to see daddy tomorrow, right?" She nodded and smiled at Ethan.

"Of course, sweetheart. But we'll also be going out once in a while to get things back to normal. Your father will need his rest anyway, so we can go out when he's doing that."

"But the last couple of days in India, he didn't need to rest so much. Do you really think he'll need to rest much now, and especially since he's doing better every day?"

"It was a long flight home, so I know he'll need his rest for the first few days. And if he gets plenty of rest, he'll heal faster." The triplets nodded and shrugged slightly. "Besides, you three need to get back to your normal routines. The sooner we put what happened behind us properly, the sooner it will all just seem like a horrible nightmare that we won't remember so well." Deep in the back of her mind, she knew she was trying to convince herself more of that than she was trying to convince the triplets. But she didn't let it show. "I'm sure you'd like to go to the playground, the carrousel, and the zoo." They nodded a bit more now and smiled.

"Yes mommy. You're right."

"I'm glad you agree."

They arrived back at the floor the others were on and a few moments later, they joined them.

* * *

A little over an hour later Kendall looked at his watch.

"I hate to leave, but I should get home." Katya smirked at him.

"Does the princess need to get her beauty sleep?" He rolled his eyes at her.

"Yeah, yeah whatever." He got up and walked over to Jack, who stood up. "It's great having you home again, Jack." Jack returned the hug he got.

"Thank you. It's great to be home." Kendall moved onto Irina and was about to hug her goodbye too.

"Actually, I think we should be leaving too. It's getting late and it was a long flight." She looked at the triplets. "I don't know about you three, but I'm pretty tired."

Kendall nodded and went over to say goodbye to Sergei, who had just gotten back from the restroom. Jack looked at Irina a bit surprised.

"You're leaving? I mean, you're staying at home tonight?" Irina looked back at him.

"Yes. I think it's best for the triplets that they get back to normal and back to their normal routines. They also need to get a proper night's sleep and they can best get that in their own beds."

Jack nodded. He had hoped Irina and the triplets would've stayed at the hospital, but he also knew that what Irina said made sense, so he guessed he shouldn't really have been that surprised. However, he'd hoped that they would at least be the very last ones to leave. He didn't really think he had any other choice but to agree.

"Yes, you're right."

Sergei walked back towards the rest of them and looked at Irina.

"Kendall just told me that you're leaving too." She nodded and he then looked at Katya. "I guess that means that we might as well leave too." Katya nodded but then Sergei looked at Jack. "Unless, of course, you'd like us to stay?"

Jack was tempted to take Sergei up on his offer, because he didn't feel like going to bed just yet, and especially because he didn't want to be alone. However, more importantly he wanted Irina and the triplets to stay, but wouldn't ask her to do that if she wasn't comfortable around him. If he asked her to stay he felt that he'd be forcing her to do so, and he'd never want to force her to do anything. She'd been forced to do enough horrible and uncomfortable things in her life, and he would not be the one adding to that list. His mind went to Kashmir and the DVDs they'd watched there, but he shook his head to get rid of those images while also shaking his head at Sergei's question.

"No, it's fine. It's been a long day, so I probably need my rest more than I realize." Irina was happy to hear that and looked around at everyone.

"I have a few things I need to talk with the night nurse on duty about, so you can all say your goodnights while I'm gone and I'll meet you by the cars." Before anyone could say anything Irina had left.

Irina got back twenty minutes later. It had taken her a little while to find the nurse, who'd be in charge of Jack, but she hadn't exactly hurried either. She didn't want anyone around when she said goodnight to Jack. Having people possibly ask questions about her behavior was something she was not up for. That's also why she had told everyone that she'd meet them by the cars and then left in a hurry.

She was glad to see Jack alone outside the room they'd been sitting in. She approached him slowly not wanting to make any sudden or fast moves that could endanger him.

"That took you a bit of time."

"I had trouble finding the nurse."

"Oh."

There were a few moments of awkward silence.

"So, has everyone gone down?" He nodded.

"Yeah, they're all waiting for you by the cars like you told them to."

"Okay. Well, then I guess I shouldn't keep them waiting any longer."

"Yeah, I guess you shouldn't keep them waiting. What time will you be here tomorrow?" She shrugged.

"I haven't talked it over with the kids, but like I said they need to get back to their normal routines. That means that they also need to do some of the things they normally do like going to the playground, the carrousel and stuff like that."

Jack wanted to beg her to come and be with him as early as possible, but also knew that she was right about the triplets. Even though they were managing just fine and were happy after everything they'd been through, he knew that they also needed to get back to doing things they did before the kidnapping in order for them to get completely passed and move on from what happened.

"Does that mean you won't be here until some time in the afternoon?" Irina shrugged.

"I really don't know. It depends on what we decide to do. But you shouldn't expect us for breakfast. I think they need to have that at home for their first morning back." Jack nodded reluctantly but didn't let it show.

"Okay. I guess I'll see you when I see you."

"Yes." Another few awkward moments of silence passed. "Well goodnight, Jack."

"Goodnight Irina." Irina walked away quickly and Jack waited until the elevator doors had closed before walking back to his room.

* * *

A few minutes later Katya heard Irina approaching and turned to look at her.

"I trust everything went as it should." Irina smiled at her sister.

"Yes absolutely." When she reached everyone, she looked at Sergei and Kendall. "I just realized I don't have a car, so I'm assuming we can catch a ride with one of you." Kendall nodded.

"You can catch a ride with me. With Katya driving with Sergei my car is the only one that has seatbelts for everyone." He looked between Katya and Sergei. "That is if that's alright with you?" They both nodded. "Okay. I assume I'll be seeing the two of you tomorrow or in the coming days." Katya was about to open her mouth, but he put a hand up stopping her. "Let me rephrase that." He looked at Sergei. "I assume that I'll be seeing you tomorrow or in the coming days." He then looked at Katya. "I won't assume anything with you." She smirked at him.

"Well, I guess the old saying is wrong, because you can actually teach an old dog new tricks." He rolled his eyes at her and looked at Irina.

"I'll wait for you in the car." She nodded and turned her attention to Katya when she spoke to her.

"I've been staying with Sergei and others while you've been gone and all my stuff is at his place. But if you don't want to be alone tonight, I can go to Sergei's and get my things and he can drop me off at your place. Or we can both stay with you, if you'd like." Irina shook her head.

"No, there's no need for you to go to Sergei's and then drive over to my place. Besides, I'm fine. And I'm tired, so I'll just be going straight to bed anyway." Katya eyed her.

"Are you sure?" Irina smiled back at her.

"Yes, I'm absolutely sure." Katya nodded but wasn't sure she was completely convinced. However, she, more than anyone, knew not to push for the truth.

"Okay. Call me if you need anything and I'll be right there."

"Thank you for the offer. I'll keep it in mind, but I know I won't be needing it." Katya nodded her understanding and they hugged goodbye.

When they were done Sergei, who'd been hugging the triplets goodbye, hugged Irina, and Katya hugged the triplets. When Irina was done she got into Kendall's car and let the triplets have a few moments alone with Katya and Sergei.

"I hope you don't mind, but when I heard you'd be staying at home I got in touch with a team of agents. They're going to be keeping a lookout for any dangers outside your house. I know your alarm system is first class, and that you're more than capable of defending yourself, but I just want to give you some extra protection in case of anything. I talked it over with Jack and he agreed. Besides, the agents won't be noticeable." Irina smiled at him.

"Thank you. I appreciate that. I think it'll be good for the triplets to know that they're completely safe and well protected."

She couldn't help but feel a bit relieved herself. She wasn't really scared of possible dangers lurking around, and didn't think that anything would happen if there were no agents looking out for them. But since Jack wasn't in the house with them, she was glad to know that agents were posted outside her house.

She was about to ask about what was going on between Dixon and Chase, but didn't get the chance since the triplets got in the car.

Kendall looked at them and when they were all buckled up, he smiled.

"Let's get you home."

* * *

When Irina saw her house again, she almost started to cry. Just a few weeks ago, she thought she'd never see this place again. However, she bit her lower lip and prevented her tears from falling and instead got out of the car along with everyone else and acted completely normal.

"Thank you for driving us home." Kendall shook his head smiling at her.

"Don't mention it. Is there anything I can do for you? I can stay if you want me to?" She smiled at him.

"Thank you, but that won't be necessary. We'll be perfectly fine."

"Okay. But don't hesitate to call me if you need anything. It doesn't matter if it's in the middle of the night. You just call me if there's anything I can do for you."

"Thank you. I'll remember that." They hugged goodbye and Kendall gave the triplets a big hug goodbye.

"I'll see you three tomorrow. Goodnight."

"Goodnight, uncle Kendall."

"See you tomorrow."

"And sleep tight." He laughed at that.

"You too. Bye." He got in his car and Irina and the triplets watched him leave until they couldn't see him anymore.

Irina looked at the triplets.

"Well, here we are. Home sweet home."

They went inside and ended up walking around for a bit downstairs in silence taking in the familiar surroundings. It felt good to be able to do that since just a few weeks ago all four of them thought they'd never see their home again. They ended up in the kitchen and Maddie saw a note on the refrigerator.

"It's from Sydney and Nadia." Irina took the note and read. As she read it, she smiled.

"It seems your sisters went grocery shopping and got us a few of the essentials." She opened the refrigerator. "Do you want something to drink before going to bed?"

"I wouldn't mind having a glass of orange juice, if there is any?" Irina smiled at Caitie.

"There's plenty."

"I'd also like some orange juice then."

"Me too."

"And I'll have some as well, so four glasses of orange juice coming right up."

They drank their juice mostly in silence, but it didn't take them long to finish anyway. When Maddie had finished hers, she looked at her mother.

"Mommy, Caitie, Ethan, and I would like to sleep in the same bed tonight, if that's alright?" Irina smiled lovingly at her children.

"Of course that's alright." Then she got a little concerned. "Are the three of you more scared and worried than you're letting on?" All three shook their heads and answered simultaneously and reassuringly.

"No." Maddie took the lead.

"No mommy, we're not scared, worried, or anything like that. We've just been used to sleeping together for a long time now and it's comforting. We won't continue with that forever, but we'd just like to do it for a little while longer. At least until daddy gets home." Irina smiled lovingly at them again and nodded.

"That's understandable. But as long as you're alright and it's not because you're covering up some deeper fear." She looked at each of them for a few seconds to see if she could tell if they were being honest about their wellbeing.

"We're alright, mommy. Honestly." Irina nodded seeing that they were telling her the truth.

"I'm glad. The three of you are also welcome to snuggle with me." The triplets eyed her.

"Are you scared or worried about something, mommy? Do you need us to snuggle with you?" Irina finished the last of her juice before answering Ethan.

"No sweetheart. I'm a big girl and I'm fine. I just wanted to let you know that if you wanted to snuggle that it would be alright with me." The triplets nodded thinking that their mother was fine like she said.

"Okay."

"How about we go to bed? I don't think anyone put fresh sheets on the bed, so that'll also take a while, which is why we might as well head upstairs now." The triplets nodded.

"Good idea. But now that the three of us are sharing a bed, you only need to put fresh sheets on two beds instead of four beds." Irina let out a small chuckle.

"Right you are. You go on up and I'll just finish things down here." They nodded and left the kitchen.

After putting away the glasses and taking one quick look around the house to make sure that everything was locked, Irina checked the alarm system twice. She thought she could wait until the next day to take the suitcases they brought home from India upstairs, and went up without them.

When she got upstairs she saw the triplets walking to the bathroom.

"We're staying in my room, mommy." Irina nodded at Caitie.

"Okay sweetheart. I'll just go and put fresh sheets on your bed, then." She went and did that, and then waited for the triplets to return. When they did and were under the covers Irina engulfed them in a tight hug. "I love you." She gave each of them a kiss and looked at them in the eyes, smiling.

"I love you too, mommy."

"I love you too, mommy."

"And I love you too, mommy."

"Now, if you at any time during the night want to talk to me about anything or just want to snuggle with me, you just come and wake me up. Okay?" All three nodded and answered simultaneously.

"Yes mommy." She smiled at them.

"Good." She gave them one more kiss before getting up to leave. "Goodnight sweethearts." Again they answered her simultaneously.

"Goodnight mommy." She turned off the lights and headed back to her own bedroom.

When she was inside her own bedroom, she closed the door and just stood there for a few moments without moving. She didn't bother to turn on the lights and decided that she didn't want to bother changing the sheets either. Knowing the way to the bathroom by heart, she didn't bother turning on the lights and she didn't turn on the lights in the bathroom either.

After leaving the bathroom she decided that she'd just sleep in the shirt that she'd last slept in and that she knew would be under the covers. She stripped out of her clothes and reached for her nightshirt as she pulled the covers away. But she could feel that she'd ended up getting Jack's shirt instead. She put it up to her nose and took in the scent. There was only a faint smell of Jack's scent left on the shirt, and she knew she should really put on a fresh shirt since it had been more than a month since he'd slept in it. But she didn't care.

She didn't care about clean sheets or a clean nightshirt. All she cared about was that they were finally completely home. And that's when it once again hit her of how she could've lost everything, and she lost control of her emotions and started sobbing. She put the nightshirt on, got under the covers, and rolled onto Jack's side of the bed and sobbed into his pillow. Like so many other nights in her life before this one, she cried herself to sleep.

**TBC**


End file.
